Nightmare Before Sunset
by entity9silvergen
Summary: One was four and four was one. The sharp eyed jay, the roaring lion, the gentle dove, and the great fire's reign has ended. Now comes the rise of new heirs. Vigilance, bravery, love, and intellect seize power of time passed. Light will overcome darkness. [Full Summary Inside] [Sanders Sides as Warriors Cats] [Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors or Sanders Sides]
1. Allegiances

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Warriors or Sanders Sides

**Full Summary:**

Long ago, a prophecy saved the clans.

There will be three cats, kin of your kin, with the power of the stars in their paws. They will find a fourth, and the battle between light and dark will be won. A new leader will rise from the shadows of his death, and the Clans will survive beyond the memories of his memories. This is how it has always been, and how it will always be.

But things have changed. The Dark Forest is rising again and a group of twolegplace cats are terrorizing the five lakeside clans. The Four's destiny hasn't been fulfilled and it's time to pass their powers and legacy to a new set of souls.

One was four and four was one. The sharp eyed jay, the roaring lion, the gentle dove, and the great fire's reign has ended. Now comes the rise of new heirs. Vigilance, bravery, love, and intellect seize power of time passed. Light will overcome darkness.

Every hero has his doubts and every cat strays from his place under the light of StarClan. Powers don't define a cat. Roarpaw, Wolfpaw, Vigilpaw, Patternheart, Longberry, and Snaketail are more than any given destiny or lack thereof. Each is strong in his own right and each will give everything he has to save the clans.

**Author's Note:** Yes, you read correctly. This is a Warriors/ Sanders Sides Xover. But, the Sanders Sides tagging system on FFN is weird so I'm just posting this as a Warriors story. This story is fandom blind. You don't need to have watched Sanders Sides to understand this story. Just pretend that all the cats are OCs. This is being crossposted on ao3 if you prefer that site.

I believe this is the first Warriors/ Sanders Sides Crossover but I could be wrong. Either way, hope you stick around and enjoy.

* * *

Thunder Clan

_Leader:_

Vinestar- mottled brown tom with short fur and amber eyes

_Deputy:_

Longberry- light grey tom with broad shoulders, an unusually long tail, and piercing blue eyes

_Medicine cat_:

Frostbark- long haired white she-cat with green eyes (Apprentice: Vigilpaw)

_Mediator:_ Echopelt- spotted brown tom with dark green eyes

_Warriors_:

Snaketail- lithe dark grey tabby tom with lighter grey underbelly, yellow markings on the legs and pelt, and sharp yellow eyes

Patternheart- long haired yellow tom with white paws and blue eyes

Treeshade- tall jet black tom with blue eyes

Dapplefoot- short spotted silver tom with brown eyes

Antpatch- large brown tom with a white underbelly, white paws, and blue eyes

Spiderwatcher- small black she-cat with a short, sturdy and blue eyes

Inktrail- short furred black and white she-cat with yellow eyes

Icetooth- white she-cat with blue eyes (Apprentice: Hazelpaw)

Blazefeather- flame colored tom with white patches and grey eyes (Apprentice: Hedgepaw)

Molebriar- bulky grey tom with long claws and blue eyes

Poppyclaw- tortoiseshell tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Leafwillow- tall black tom with amber eyes

Mintleaf- short furred white she-cat with blue eyes

Rushstalk- brown tabby tom with a long tail and dark eyes

Bramblethorn- light grey she-cat with fuzzy fur, darker patches, and blue eyes

Wildheart- ginger she-cat with green eyes

Larkwhisker- large dark grey tom with green eyes

_Apprentices:_

Hazelpaw- black tom with large amber eyes

Hedgepaw- tortoiseshell tabby she-cat with green eyes

Vigilpaw- small framed dark grey tabby tom with black markings beneath faded violet eyes

_Queens:_

Sunnybrook- russet she-cat with amber eyes (Mother of Roarkit and Wolfkit)

Dottail- black and white she-cat with yellow eyes

_Kits:_

Wolfkit- russet tom with messy fur, a silver tail tip and muzzle, and green eyes

Roarkit- russet tom with ginger markings and amber eyes

_Elders:_

Thymestalk- short furred yellow she-cat with patchy fur and brown eyes

WindClan

_Leader_:

Talonstar- red cat with black eyes

_Deputy:_

Shinestripe- she-cat (Apprentice: Snailpaw)

_Medicine Cat_:

Ravenfur- tom

_Warriors_:

Mouseleg- tom

Lionstep- she-cat

Junipertail- tom

Honeyear- she-cat (Apprentice: Milkpaw)

Darkcloud- she-cat

Stoneskip- tom

Hollowsky- she-cat

Brightstripe- she-cat

Graywhisker- she-cat (Apprentice: Raggedpaw)

Whiskertail- tom

Beeburr- tom

Bramblebush- tom (Apprentice: Pinepaw)

Cherryfur- she-cat

Rabbitjaw- she-cat

Loudthistle- tom

_Apprentices:_

Snailpaw- tom

Milkpaw- she-cat

Raggedpaw- tom

Pinepaw- she-cat

_Queens:_

Stagfern- she-cat (Mother of Mudkit, Nectarkit, and Runningkit)

Stalkrunner- she-cat

Heatherspots- she-cat

_Kits:_

Mudkit- tom

Nectarkit- tom

Runningkit- she-kit

_Elders:_

Marigoldheart- she-cat

Blacktail- tom

Foxpelt- tom

SkyClan

_Leader:_

Terrainstar- light grey tom

_Deputy:_

Redpath- tom

_Medicine Cat_-

Longear- tom (Apprentice: Rainpaw)

_Warriors_:

Mallowslip- she-cat

Lynxclaw- she-cat

Bouncefern- she-cat

Mudbush- tom

Featherfern- she-cat (Apprentice: Thornpaw)

Lightfang- tom

Motheyes- tom

Archpelt- tom (Apprentice: Breezepaw)

Newtdusk- she-cat

Doeleap- she-cat (Apprentice: Thistlepaw)

Webtail- tom

_Apprentices:_

Rainpaw- she-cat

Thornpaw- tom

Breezepaw- tom

Thistlepaw- tom

_Queens:_

Spikefur- she-cat (Mother of Deerkit, Silverkit, and Toothkit)

_Kits:_

Deerkit- tom

Silverkit- tom

Toothkit- tom

_Elders:_

Yarrowfur- she-cat

Shadepelt- tom

RiverClan

_Leader:_

Valorstar- ginger she-cat with green eyes

_Deputy: _

Darkclaw- tom

_Medicine Cat_:

Stonestream- she-cat

_Warriors_:

Squirrelsplash- she-cat

Tallflower- she-cat

Swallowtail- tom

Birchbark- tom (Apprentice: Wingpaw)

Woodscar- tom

Ratnose- tom (Apprentice: Wetpaw)

Perchfur- she-cat

Podstream- she-cat

Pigeonsong- tom

Tawnyfall- tom

Tangleface- tom

Mistmeadow- she-cat

Quicksplash- she-cat (Apprentice: Rootpaw)

Brownbark- tom

Russettail- tom

Eaglefeather- tom

Tidytoe- she-cat (Apprentice: Goldenpaw)

_Apprentices:_

Wingpaw- tom

Wetpaw- tom

Rootpaw- tom

Goldenpaw- she-cat

_Queens:_

Freckleshine- she-cat (Mother of Finchkit, Pikekit, and Podkit)

Newtfang- she-cat

_Kits:_

Finchkit- tom

Pikekit- she-kit

Podkit- she-kit

_Elders:_

Frogleaf- tom

Goosesight- tom

ShadowClan

_Leader:_

Beanstar- black cat with a white tail tip black eyes

_Deputy:_

Markbranch- jet black tom

_Medicine Cat_:

Sneezefeather- she-cat (Apprentice: Sootpaw)

_Warriors_:

Crowflight- tom

Finchfur- she-cat

Logmask- tom

Redbelly- tom

Owlcatcher- she-cat (Apprentice: Tearpaw)

Patchtail- tom

Weedflake- tom

Fallowfire- she-cat (Apprentice: Robinpaw)

Waspnose- she-cat

Whiskerface- tom (Apprentice: Twigpaw)

_Apprentices:_

Sootpaw- tom

Tearpaw- tom

Robinpaw- she-cat

Twigpaw- she-cat

_Queens:_

Troutscale- she-cat

_Elders:_

Volewhisper- she-cat

Puddlescar- tom

Others:

_Leader: _

Lizard- large ginger tabby she-cat with red eyes

_Deputy:_

Cat- white and black tom with yellow eyes

_Followers:_

Orange- orange tom with blue eyes

etc.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Anyone with a description is a character from Sanders Sides, Cartoon Therapy, or Thomas Sanders's short vids. Can you guess who is who? They will be revealed in the next chapter.


	2. Prologue

**Author's Note:** I said I'd reveal which cats are which characters. Here it is:

Sides- Longberry: Logan, Vigilpaw: Virgil, Snaketail: Deceit, Wolfkit: Remus, Patternheart: Patton, Roarkit: Roman

Real People- Vinestar: Thomas, Frostbark: Foster (Thomas's childhood dog), Talonstar: Talyn, Terrainstar: Terrence, Valorstar: Valerie, Beanstar: Joan

Cartoon Therapy- Echopelt: Dr. Emile Picani, Hazelpaw: Elliot, Dottail: Dot, Larkwhisker: Larry

Short Vid Characters- Sunnybrook: Mom Character, Treeshade: Teacher Guy, Dapplefoot: Dad Guy, Antpatch: Anxiety Guy, Inktrail: Magenta (Printer), Icetooth: Ice Machine,

Other Characters- Spiderwatcher: Susan (Virgil's pet spider), Blazefeather: Steve the Stove, Hedgepaw (Mr. Squiggles the Brave), Molebriar: Bill (Drill), Poppyclaw: Aunt Patty, Leafwillow: Lee, Mintleaf: Mary Lee, Rushstalk: Remy (Sleep), Bramblethorn: Brain, Wildheart: Heart, Thyemestalk: Story Time Guy, Marchbranch: Marco (Joan's Beanie), Lizard: Dragon Witch, Cat: Manticore Chimera, Orange (Theorized seventh side, unknown as of the time this story was written)

* * *

StarClan was a fickle place that not even its inhabitants fully understood. Or rather, Silverpelt was. StarClan was not a place. It was a community and Silverpelt was their home. A piece of it was anyway. The terrain varied from place to place, matching the homes of the living cats in the real world below but it also had nooks and crannies that not even the bravest of star-furred warriors dared venture into. Of course, it was here that the greatest cats of clan history made their homes. Far from ShadowClan's marsh, SkyClan's trees, ThunderClan's undergrowth, WindClan's moor, and RiverClan's waters, stone and bog hid behind a thick, ever present mist. This was the place Silverpelt's guardians decided to make their homes.

She knew the mist should cause her worry. Afterall, the border between Silverpelt and the Dark Forest's territory was covered in it. Logically, the mist's presence at the edge of StarClan's hunting grounds implied something on the other side of the border. Something dark. Sinister even. Something she didn't want to see. But she couldn't help but feel comforted when she stepped into it and bathed in the crisp, damp air. Maybe it was because she was so far from other cats. Maybe it was the fact that legendary cats like Thunderstar and Windstar or lesser known heroes like Finchstar and even Cloudstar resided here. She always felt awed in their presence. She knew they were cats just like her but each and every one of them had an aura of something she just couldn't identify. That could've been it. Or maybe it was because she only ever came here for one reason. Seeing the cats that gave her past life meaning always brought warmth to her heart. That was probably it.

"Ivypool!"

The sharp voice cut through the mist like a thorn digging into the soft pad of a kit. Ivypool lifted her head, blue eyes locking with another pair. Instinctively, she wanted to leap back but she merely squared her shoulders and held her stance strong. There was no reason to fear these cats and showing weakness would do nothing to benefit the situation.

"Jayfeather," Ivypool greeted with a curt nod. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The once blind tom snorted and he beckoned Ivypool closer with his tail. The mist cleared around him somewhat and Ivypool eagerly jumped at the chance for some respite from its effects. Only those who made their home in the mist could navigate and control it. Ivypool was not one of those cats. Part of her hated that she had to rely on others like this but at the moment, she did not care.

"You're the one who called us here," Jayfeather grunted. He began walking, not bothering to check if Ivypool was following. It annoyed her to some end but she supposed that she shouldn't expect more. This was Jayfeather she was talking about and every cat in StarClan, the Dark Forest, and the Tribe of Endless Hunting knew how prickly he could be. Especially when he was doing something he didn't want to.

"Where are the others?" Ivypool asked, glancing around but she saw no pelts beside her own silver and white one and Jayfeather's tabby fur. The mist was too thick. No matter how hard she peered, she couldn't see past a couple of tail lengths.

Jayfeather flicked his ear dismissively, still not looking at her. "We met around the… It doesn't matter. The five original clan leaders have a favorite spot. Any cat in the mist goes there when anything important happens. We're meeting there. I didn't think you'd be able to find us so Lionblaze made me go get you."

Ivypool purred and shouldered him playfully. "Don't blame your brother. You know you were worried."

Jayfeather glanced at her, no humor in his blank stare, making it clear he did not appreciate the friendly nudge. Ivypool shrank back slightly. Death did nothing to lighten Jayfeather's demeanor. If anything, it made him more serious. Ivypool thought a life free of responsibility would be beneficial for him but it seemed that was not the case. Or the cats that held the power of the stars in their paws didn't get the same opportunity to have a peaceful afterlife like the warriors and medicine cats that wandered Silverpelt. Ivypool suspected that much for seasons but never found the right way to ask.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence. It wasn't much of a journey anyway. Jayfeather knew exactly where he was going, avoiding certain patches of mud and treading through batches of reeds like they weren't there at all. Ivypool couldn't fathom why any cat would want to live in a place like the mist when the rest of StarClan wasn't far away. The edges of Silverpelt were cold and damp while StarClan's forests were warm and filled with prey. But, to each his own, Ivypool supposed. She was sure Jayfeather and the others had a reason for living here.

Jayfeather led her up a slight incline until the mist began to roll back a bit, revealing three more forms waiting not far ahead. Ivypool's eyes lit up and a purr rumbled in her throat at the sight of them. She got along with these cats far better than the tabby tom at her side. Seeing them always brought her joy.

"Dovewing! Lionblaze! Firestar!" she greeted. Excitement bubbled up in her chest and she found herself unable to contain it. Breaking from her guide's side, she darted forward. Dovewing looked equally happy to see her and she met her halfway, the two sisters rubbing their heads against each other affectionately.

"Why can't we be like that?" Lionblaze joked as Jayfeather padded to sit beside him.

"If you try anything like that, I will claw your ears off," Jayfeather threatened, eyes narrowing, but his words did nothing to faze the larger tom.

"You know you love me," Lionblaze responded with a laugh. After a few heartbeats, his mood became a bit more somber and his gaze shifted to meet Ivypool's. "Ivypool, why did you call the Four together? You know we don't like leaving the mist."

"And I'm not asking you to," Ivypool said quickly. She knew it would be useless to try anyway. The Four were stubborn and resolute in their ways. They wouldn't leave if she asked and it would take a lot of convincing on her part to get them to do it on their own accord. "I just wanted- needed- to tell you something."

"What could be important enough to bring the four prophezied cats together?" Firestar asked, waving his tail to gesture at the group. In the dim light, his pelt didn't quite shine the way it did when struck by the sun but his flame colored fur still looked as brilliant as his green eyes. Nothing could steal Firestar's beauty, not even the dirtiest and darkest of places.

"The Four's reign has ended," Jayfeather spoke. "It ended seasons before any of the Three died. Whatever you want us to do, it doesn't concern-"

"But it does," Ivypool interrupted stubbornly. She wasn't about to let Jayfeather dismiss her, not after all she did to get the Four together again. StarClan, why were they all so reclusive? Not even Sandstorm could get them to visit StarClan's hunting grounds. Neither she-cat understood the Four's motives or had any idea what they did in the mist but Ivypool doubted it was important enough to ignore their friends and kin. She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to worry about that. "The Four's time will never end."

"The prophecy has been fulfilled," Dovewing told her softly, pressing her muzzle against her sister's ear. "Whatever it is-"

"The prophecy hasn't been fulfilled," Ivypool interrupted again, ignoring the shocked looks from her former clanmates. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see their faces.

"Excuse me?" Jayfeather sounded offended. Ivypool could understand that. Out of all the prophesized cats, Jayfeather had given up the most for the sake of the prophecy. It was understandable for him to take her words most personally.

But it seemed all of them had taken it to heart. Even Firestar seemed upset. Not quite angry but his voice was a bit harsher than usual. "Explain yourself, Ivypool."

"The Four still hold power greater than StarClan. That's why you hang around in the mist. You do everything StarClan doesn't. Or can't." Ivypool had no idea if that was true or not but judging by their reaction, it was true. "You still have a role in the safety of the clans. Until the clans are safe, the prophecy will never be fulfilled."

"The clans will never be safe," Jayfeather snorted.

"The prophecy only gave us the power to protect the clans from the Dark Forest," Lionblaze agreed. He waved his tail. "That's what we do here. Guard the border, venture beyond, keep the balance."

Huh. Ivypool never knew that. She had to admit she wasn't surprised. She had died generations ago and spent the seasons she'd spent away from her sister's side wondering what the Four did at the border. The idea that the Four continued to protect Silverpelt crossed her mind more than a pawful of times.

But now wasn't the time to think about that. Ivypool shook her head, trying to get her mind back on track. "So you know that the Dark Forest hasn't been subdued? That they're getting their strength back?"

"They are?" Firestar questioned, sounding genuinely surprised. For a heartbeat, Ivypool doubted herself but a quick look at the Three was all she needed to silence those thoughts. Guilt suddenly appeared on Lionblaze's broad face, nervousness wormed onto Dovewing's soft features, and an emotion Ivypool couldn't identify had etched itself into Jayfeather's sharp expression. It seemed she was right about this one.

"I've been able to hear old warriors from the Dark Forest pulling themselves back together," Dovewing admitted. Her green eyes focused on Ivypool. "Old, old ones, I mean. The ones that faded. And some that we killed during the battle."

"I've had a few encounters with them," Lionblaze spoke up, shuffling his massive paws. "I got into a fight with Houndleap. You remember that scrawny old tom?"

"Yeah," Ivypool replied bitterly. She always hated that cat. It physically pained her to look at him. He just rubbed her the wrong way.

"How about you?" Firestar asked, looking at Jayfeather. "Did you see anything?"

"Silverpelt's light's been whispering to me," Jayfeather sighed, giving in. "A few… particularly interesting souls have found their way to the clans. It may be time for another one."

"Another what?" Ivypool asked, lost. The rest of the Four didn't share her confusion though.

"Are you sure?" Dovewing asked.

"We might be able to do this ourselves," Lionblaze added.

"No, let's put this in the clans' paws," Firestar argued gently. "It worked out last time."

"History doesn't always repeat itself," Jayfeather pointed out but his voice lacked the bite it usually did. He was agreeing with the old ThunderClan leader. He looked to Lionblaze and Dovewing. "You know how these things work. You two have to want it too."

Lionblaze and Dovewing exchanged a glance before looking back to the medicine cat and nodding.

"I'm sorry, what are you talking about?" Ivypool asked. She wasn't following the conversation at all.

"Tell me, Ivypool," Firestar said, green eyes peering at her like he could see her soul, "have you ever witnessed the creation of a prophecy?"

Ivypool reeled back, blinking, too stunned to respond.

"Well, not the creation of a prophecy. We can't just make one. All the prophecies were made the day the first dawn let its light shine on the lake. When the time comes, some star cats can draw on them," Jayfeather explained. "And when that time comes, a number of star cats gather to choose which cats will carry out the prophecy. Case in point…"

"You're going to give living cats powers to fight the Dark Forest," Ivypool realized, voice barely more than a whisper.

Jayfeather flicked his tail in annoyance, looking away with a huff. "No! Weren't you listening? We can't create prophecies so we can't create powers. Pay attention!"

Ivypool glared at him, going on the defensive. "Well forgive me for not knowing how this works! I've never done this before."

"We're going to share some of our power with some living cats," Lionblaze told her. He spoke a bit softer than his brother, clearly the more patient littermate. His eyes flickered to the others. "The power of the mind, the power of the body, the power of the senses, and the power of the soul… All powers greater than StarClan itself."

Dovewing frowned and glanced at her comrades. "We've never done this before and we don't exactly keep an eye on clan cats. How will we pick the right heirs?"

"I've got an idea," Jayfeather said, "but each of us will still have to pick an heir on our own."

"You mean the souls that Silverpelt's light has been telling you about?" Firestar asked.

Jayfeather nodded. "We just need to pick four. Maybe keep an eye on the others but each of us needs to find the one that connects with us the most."

Lionblaze nodded. "We're ready. I trust that you'll handle the… y'know, actually finding the prophecy and giving the chosen cats their powers?"

"Of course," Jayfeather snorted, some of that old humor leaking back into his tone. "I can't let you mousebrains do it, now can I?"

Firestar purred. "We're ready when you are."

Jayfeather nodded. "Ivypool, step back. This is something only the Four can do."

"Can I watch?"

"... Sure."

"Awesome."

Ivypool retreated back a bit but kept her eyes on Jayfeather as he traced a circle in the earth with a lone claw. He tilted his head back to look up at the unseen sky above and the mist around them began swirling. For a few heartbeats, Ivypool lost sight of them but the mist pulled back once again. When it did, the circle was filled with water.

The four huddled around the puddle, staring into it. Ivypool craned her neck a bit and realized that she could see the distorted reflection of cats in it. It was unclear and she couldn't recognize or identify any of them but the Four watched them with sharp interest, each one staring with unwavering focus. One by one, each cat tapped the surface of the water before stepping back, forming a ring around the puddle.

"I hold the power of the sharp eyed jay," Jayfeather spoke. He didn't project his voice but it was even and clear. "My domain is the mind. The heir to my power will be a cat who believes himself unworthy. A cat with a past like mine, unable to follow his dreams. A storm cloud who scares away the good weather but brings the rain needed for the flowers to grow. With my power, he will be able to walk freely through dreams, the mind, Silverpelt, and time and hear the thoughts and feelings of other cats. I choose vigilance."

Ivypool didn't understand Jayfeather's words but she didn't dare speak up. The others seemed to understand what he was doing and stepped forward themselves.

"I hold the power of the roaring lion," Lionblaze said. As always, his deep voice held a power and confidence to it that few cats could pull off. "My domain is the battlefield. The heir to my power will be a cat who dreams of tales bigger than himself. A cat with a past like mine, ambitious to fight in great battles. A warrior who fights for glory but holds a special place in his heart for the cats who matter. With my power, he will be able to run without fear of falling, fight without risk of injury, and defeat any foe that comes his way. I choose bravery."

"I hold the power of the gentle dove," Dovewing announced. Her voice, as always, had a softness to it but at times like these, Ivypool remembered how powerful she truly was. Her voice carried far, holding onto a strength that could come only from the heart. "My domain is the place the heart lies, wherever it may be. The heir to my power will be a cat who has more love to give than he can bear. A cat with a past like mine, wanting to serve and love his clan. A caring soul who struggles to do what is right but always finds his way. With my power, he will be able to listen to the world, find the voices of the cats he seeks, and see the places too far to visit. I choose love."

"I hold the power of the great fire," Firestar finally spoke. He projected his voice, letting it wander deep into the surrounding mist. "My domain is the clan. The heir to my power will be a cat who struggles to connect with the cats he longs for. A cat with a past like mine, stepping forward because he is needed. A leader different from his friends but can think more clearly than any other. With my power, he will be able to speak with a voice that reflects his unwavering willpower and become a cat others look to for guidance. I choose intellect."

The water in the puddle stirred, spinning rapidly. Ivypool couldn't help but let her eyes widen. It was fascinating.

Jayfeather inhaled deeply and yowled to whatever lay above the stars.

_One was four and four was one. The sharp eyed jay, the roaring lion, the gentle dove, and the great fire's reign has ended. Now comes the rise of new heirs. Vigilance, bravery, love, and intellect seize power of time passed. Light will overcome darkness._

And with that, the paws that would guide the clans to a new future began leaving their mark on the rest of clankind.


	3. New Horizons

**Reminder:** Longberry is Logan, Vigilpaw is Virgil, Snaketail is Deceit, Wolfkit is Remus, Patternheart is Patton, and Roarkit is Roman

* * *

"I can groom myself!" a kit's voice squealed, voice barely audible above the soft rumble of cats' voices that filled the camp. "I'm going to be an apprentice! I don't need my mother to lick down my fur!"

The she-cat hovering over the smaller russet tom didn't heed her son's words whatsoever. "Now, Roarkit, you don't want your fur to be sticking up for your apprentice ceremony and this is the last time I'm going to get to groom you like this. Just sit still, will you?"

"But my fur is fine! It's Wolfkit you should be grooming," Roarkit complained, shooting a glare over to his brother. Wolfkit squeaked, reeling back in surprise. He turned to look up at his father. Dapplefoot looked equally surprised as his son, blinking innocently at his mate. The action only made him look more guilty.

"Honestly Dapplefoot! I asked you to do one thing," Sunnybrook scolded affectionately. She lifted her head away from Roarkit, the kit jumping eagerly at the opportunity to escape the grooming session, and beckoned her other son over with her tail. "Is it really so difficult to groom your own son?"

"You know how Wolfkit's fur gets," Dapplefoot said goodnaturedly, nudging Wolfkit to run over to his mother. "No cat in the five clans could tame those tufts."

"Yeah," Roarkit agreed despite the fact he was complaining just a few heartbeats ago. "Even a LionClan warrior couldn't get his fur to stay down!"

"LionClan's not real," Wolfkit grumbled as his mother began lapping the fur atop his head. He tried not to shrink away from her but he couldn't help it. He was about to become an apprentice for StarClan's sake! Having his mother groom him was just plain embarrassing.

"They are too!" Roarkit argued.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Whether or not those old stories are true, I'd be _lion_ if I said even one of the legendary warriors of any of the Great Clans had any hope of keeping my little hunter's fur down," Dapplefoot joked. Sunnybrook groaned while Roarkit dramatically buried his nose under his paws but Wolfkit let out a quiet giggle. His father was funny.

"You're almost as bad as your brothers," Sunnybrook sighed affectionately.

Dapplefoot lashed his tail lightly, humor glowing in his eyes. "Hey! Even I have to admit that Patternheart's better at coming up with puns than me but Echopelt? Come on, I'm way funnier than him!"

"Echopelt understands that he can't always afford to be silly," Sunnybrook reminded before letting out a sigh and blinking at her mate affectionately. "But you and your brothers really light up the clan."

"Thanks, love," Dapplefoot purred, gently butting Sunnybrook's shoulder. He then turned his attention to Roarkit and began lapping his fur. "Now Roarkit's fur I can handle!"

"Only because mother got all the knots out already," Wolfkit muttered under his breath but he doubted his family heard him. Not that he minded. He loved moments like these. It was so typical of them. Dapplefoot making jokes, Sunnybrook scolding them, Roarkit being dramatic and talking about the clans of legend, and Wolfkit… Wolfkit…

Wolfkit didn't really know where he stood. He didn't know what kind of cat he was or what kind of cat he wanted to be. And that was okay! He was still young. He had the rest of his life to figure himself out. He was going to be an apprentice soon. That was the perfect time to figure himself out and he knew he'd be able to. Or at least that was what he told himself.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Highrock for a clan meeting!"

Vinestar's voice rang through the clearing, interrupting Wolfkit's train of thought and the family's tender moment together. Wolfkit pulled away from his mother and shook out his pelt, letting his fur fall back into its usual resting place, before scurrying after his brother to sit with their clanmates.

Wolfkit didn't know Vinestar all that well. He'd probably only spoken to him once or twice when he visited the nursery. Each time, Wolfkit had expected to be intimidated in the presence of the clan's leader but Vinestar wasn't like that at all. Everything about him screamed warmth and kindness. Anytime he spared him a glance, Wolfkit felt comforted and relaxed. His amber eyes were so soft and warm. Vinestar was tall and strong like the warrior he was but he didn't have a threatening bone in his body. He just seemed to radiate compassion. Oh, Wolfkit was sure that he wouldn't want to meet him on the battlefield but they were clanmates and he knew that would never happen. He was happy to have him as his leader.

Roarkit was wiggling with excitement, unable to contain himself. Wolfkit shouldered him sharply and quietly hissed for him to sit still. Today was the biggest day in either of their short lives and Wolfkit was sure both of them wanted everything to go perfectly.

Vinestar's gaze swept the clan. He glanced down at his deputy, Longberry, questioningly. The grey tom nodded once, confirming that everyone was there. Vinestar purred softly in response and looked back to the clan.

"Today I have the honor of welcoming two of our youngest into the ranks of our clan," Vinestar spoke. His eyes fell on Roarkit and Wolfkit. Wolfkit stiffened but he quickly relaxed under his leader's gaze. The leader flicked his tail, calling them over. "Roarkit, Wolfkit, step forward."

Wolfkit and Roarkit were on their paws in an instant, picking their way past their clanmates to stand before their leader. Wolfkit felt nervousness prickle in his belly but he forced it down. Now wasn't the time for that. He was going to get his name and mentor. He wasn't about to let a little bit of nerves ruin the moment. Afterall, Roarkit didn't look worried in the slightest.

Roarkit was practically glowing when Vinestar waved him over. The tiny tom bounced on his paws, crossing the distance between the two gracefully. For a heartbeat, Wolfkit wished he'd trip. Maybe that would knock some sense into his littermate. Wolfkit quickly shook his head. He didn't want to think like that. No matter how much he and Roarkit bickered, they were brothers and they loved each other. Not even those seemingly random thoughts that occasionally wormed their way into Wolfkit's mind could change that.

"Roarkit," Vinestar began, standing over the russet tom, "you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Roarpaw. Your mentor will be Patterheart. I hope Patternheart will pass down all he knows on to you."

Wolfkit blinked in surprise as Patternheart made his way to the head of the clan. He briefly pressed his nose to Roarpaw's shoulder fur in greeting before looking to Vinestar. Wolfkit hadn't expected Patternheart to be given an apprentice today. Not that there was anything wrong with that or anything. Wolfkit rather liked Patternheart. It was just that he was Dapplefoot's littermate and kin typically didn't mentor kin. Then again, Wolfkit didn't know how that rule worked. Maybe they were distant enough in blood for it not to count? Like most things, Wolfkit didn't know and he found he didn't care.

"Patternheart**, **you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Wildheart, and you have shown yourself to be brave and kind hearted. You will be the mentor of Roarpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."

"Of course," Patternheart said with a nod and turned to Roarpaw. He purred, his voice and gaze flooding with warmth. "I'm sure we'll get along great. I look forward to training you."

Wolfkit didn't quite catch Roarpaw's response but the two did the traditional gesture of touching noses to mark the start of their new relationship as mentor and apprentice. Patternheart whispered something to his new apprentice and the two backed off to the edge of the camp, still within the others' view but leaving room for the next pair to step forward.

"Wolfkit, step forward," Vinestar said and Wolfkit snapped to attention. He swallowed away any lingering anxious thoughts and padded forward to look up at his leader. Vinestar winked at him knowingly before addressing him and the clan once again. "You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Wolfpaw. Your mentor will be Snaketail. I hope Snaketail will pass down all he knows on to you."

Snaketail? Wolfpaw glanced over his shoulder to search for the warrior among his clanmates. He'd heard of him but never met him. Would he be a good mentor?

Snaketail pushed his way past his clanmates to stand at the front of the clan with Wolfpaw and Vinestar. He had a lithe but powerful build and yellow eyes that seemed to pierce Wolfpaw's soul when he looked at him. Wolfpaw expected himself to flinch under his gaze but he found himself standing up taller instead of shying away. Wolfpaw didn't know if that was what Snaketail wanted or not but the tom smirked at him before turning to Vinestar again.

"Snaketail**, **you are ready to take on an apprentice again. You did an excellent job training Vigilpaw. I'm sure he would have become a great warrior under your guidance if he had not chosen to follow the path of a medicine cat. You have shown yourself to be cunning and hard working, traits that have and will continue to serve you well. You will be the mentor of Wolfpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."

"I'll do my best," Snaketail responded, turning to Wolfpaw. Wolfpaw peered at him for a moment. He had a strange way of speaking. It was casual and passive, more so than other cats. It grabbed Wolfpaw's curiosity. Snaketail suddenly leaned forward and Wolfpaw remembered they still had to finish the ceremony. He reached up and touched his nose to his before pulling away and padding off to join Roarpaw and Patternheart at the edge of the clan.

"I now welcome our newest apprentices to ThunderClan!" Vinestar declared, throwing his head back to yowl at the sky.

"Roarpaw! Wolfpaw! Roarpaw! Wolfpaw!"

Wolfpaw lifted his head slightly, happy to hear the clan chanting his name. He didn't quite preen like Roarpaw at the sound of his name but pride still flooded his body. He was finally on his way to becoming a ThunderClan warrior.

* * *

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Patternheart asked as the four cats walked back into camp, stopping just inside the entrance. "I guess you could say our tour of the territory was-"

"Don't," Snaketail warned, tail curling.

"-a walk in the _bark_."

Roarpaw exchanged a glance with his brother. Wolfpaw looked as confused as he was, which was odd. Wolfpaw usually enjoyed their father and his littermates' jokes but this time he just looked lost as Roarpaw. Then again, both Wolfpaw and Roarpaw were incredibly tired. Roarpaw doubted he ever wanted to curl up in his nest anymore than he did now. The territory was so big! It would be a long time until his soft kit muscles were used to trekking across the whole thing but Roarpaw was looking forward to it. What adventures he would go on! He would be able to hunt for his clan or maybe he and Wolfpaw could explain some of the corners of the territory that they hadn't seen today or maybe one day they'd be able to-

Wait. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in his dreams for the future. Right now was the time to stare at his mentor in confusion. That pun made no sense.

"You know… Walk in the _bark_," Patternheart said as if that would explain it. "We were in a forest. With trees. That have bark on them. Like a walk in the park but we were in a forest."

"... What's a park?" Roarpaw asked slowly.

Patternheart gasped loudly. "You've never heard of a park?"

"Should I have?"

"It's a twolegplace thing," Snaketail explained, sounding bored. He glanced at his fellow warrior. "You stole that one from Echopelt, didn't you? I know that's one of his favorites."

"... _Paw_ssibly."

Snaketail sighed. "I can't believe I'm going to be stuck with you until these two get their warrior names."

"You could always give us our assessment early," Roarpaw suggested hopefully.

"Nuh-uh. You two haven't even caught your first piece of prey. Don't go thinking about your warrior ceremony anytime soon. That's a long way off. Apprentices stay apprentices for at least eight moons, sometimes even a full season cycle. That's even longer than you two have been alive," Snaketail told him without looking away from Patternheart. "Don't get ahead of yourselves."

Roarpaw groaned dramatically. "That's so long!"

"We still have a ton to learn before then," Wolfpaw reminded. "It won't be that bad. I'm sure we'll… uh, have plenty of adventures before then."

Wolfpaw always knew how to lighten Roarpaw's mood. Energy flooded back into Roarpaw's body and he bounced up excitedly. "Right! These moons are going to be the best of our lives!"

"I can't believe he has so much energy," Snaketail muttered, shaking his head. "How does he bounce back so quickly?"

"I ask myself that every day," Wolfpaw murmured in agreement.

Patternheart didn't seem exasperated by Roarpaw's words. In fact, he seemed to match Roarpaw's energy. "That's the spirit, 'paw! But speaking of learning, we've still got a lot of daylight left so there's one more thing you two need to learn about before you go to your new nests for the night."

"What?" Roarpaw asked eagerly. "The Warrior Code? Or something more exciting? Is there some kind of danger at the border we must know if? A battlemove? Something better?"

"In your dreams," Snaketail snorted. "You're apprentices now."

"Yes. And?"

"You have new responsibilities."

"Yes. And?" Roarpaw questioned again, growing frustrated quickly. He glanced at his brother. The other tom looked equally confused before realization dawned on his face.

"Oh StarClan," Wolfpaw said aloud, eyes growing wide and round. "Don't tell me…"

"Apprentice duties!" Patternheart said cheerfully. He bounced around on his paws a bit, waving his tail excitedly. "You get to learn how to extract mouse bile and do ticks and make nests and gather moss and clean the dirt place and clean the nursery and-"

"Apprentice duties?" Roarpaw repeated, an expression of horror spreading over his features. "But that's-"

"Something every cat must do before becoming a warrior," Snaketail interrupted. He paused and glanced at Patternheart. "Or after they become a warrior if they want to though I don't know why."

Roarpaw and Wolfpaw gaped at Patternheart.

"You still do apprentice duties?" Roarpaw asked, bewildered. "Why?"

"Because I love ThunderClan! You've got to be _kitting_ me if you don't think the less pretty parts of being a clancat aren't important. It's the little things that make the clan _tick_ and if it wasn't for the cats who clean nests and take care of the kits and elders, the clan would have _bracken_ apart a long time ago. Collecting moss isn't that bad and I know that the elders appreciate it so much when a cat comes by for the first time in a _bile_.Oh, and pulling thorns out of the moss means that the little kits in the nursery don't get hurt! Be_leaf_ me, it is not fun to wake up and find a thorn in your nest. The clan doesn't have enough '_paws_ so-"

"Oh great StarClan. Stop," Snaketail interrupted, shaking his head. Roarpaw couldn't tell if he was actually annoyed or not. The warrior cleared his throat and looked at the two brothers. "Ignoring Patternheart's ch-"

"_Paw_tternheart," Patternheart interrupted with a giggle. "Get it? _Paw_tternheart? Like how apprentices are 'paws? And apprentices do… Okay, I'll stop now."

Snaketail stared at him for a moment with a look that could have been disbelief before shaking his head and continuing. "Ignoring Patternheart's chore puns, apprentice duties are important you've got to make sure you do them right or you'll just end up doing them over again. I think Hedgepaw and Hazelpaw are out hunting with their mentors but I asked Frostbark if Vigilpaw could show you two the tendrils."

"Vigilpaw does apprentice duties?" Wolfpaw questioned.

"But he's a medicine cat apprentice!" Roarpaw pointed out. "He's old enough to be a warrior."

"But he's not so he still does them," Snaketail retorted.

"Not as much as Hazelpaw and Hedgepaw though," Patternheart added. "He usually only does them if something needs to get done and the other two aren't around. With you two helping out, hopefully he'll be able to focus on his own training. Not that he needs it, he's already a great medicine cat, but you know what I mean."

"Fine," Roarpaw groaned. "I guess I can see why we need to do it. Where is Vigilpaw anyway?"

"He should be in the medicine den. I see Frostbark over there with Echopelt so chances are he's sorting herbs on his own," Snaketail told them, pointing with his tail.

"Oh! I need to go talk to Echopelt about something. I'll see you two tomorrow morning! We can start training then," Patternheart promised before darting away from the group's place by the camp entrance and joining the cats deeper within its walls, waving his tail goodbye. "Good luck with Vigilpaw you two!"

"Patternheart, wait! We need to- And he's gone," Snaketail sighed, shaking his head. "All three of them… Where do they get their energy? And now Roarpaw's inherited it. Please tell me you've got a few morsels of sense in you, Wolfpaw."

Wolfpaw sighed. "Unfortunately."

"Hey! Don't be such a downer," Roarpaw said, licking the side of his brother's face hurriedly. Wolfpaw pulled away, putting a paw on Roarpaw's shoulder to push him away. Roarpaw rolled back dramatically before pouncing on him, the two squabbling until Snaketail interrupted.

"Come on, you two. Focus," Snaketail told them, tapping his paw against the ground to get their attention. "You two need to learn all the routines and get your nests prepared before sundown so go on so go find Vigilpaw, will you?"

"Right. Sorry, Snaketail," Wolfpaw apologized, sitting up and licking his shoulder fur in embarrassment.

Snaketail sighed again. "Don't worry about it. 'Paws will be 'paws and it's your first day but let's avoid this type of behavior in the future, shall we? Well, I'm sure Patternheart will encourage it but we'll be taking your training seriously. Now, run along you two. Patternheart and I will see you in the morning."

"Sure thing, Snaketail!" Roarpaw said, nodding vigorously. Wolfpaw murmured words of agreement with less enthusiasm than his brother. That seemed to be enough for Snaketail though and he tilted his head ever so slightly to them before whisking away.

Wolfpaw and Roarpaw made their way to the medicine den once Snaketail left and Roarpaw suddenly realized that he was more tired than he thought. His muscles ached from overuse and he wanted nothing more than to curl up and take a nap but he wasn't about to show weakness in front of Wolfpaw and Vigilpaw. He was strong! He would keep walking with his head held high, no matter how much he wanted to rest it on his paws.

Wolfpaw lead the way, poking his head into the medicine den in search of Vigilpaw. "Vigilpaw? Are you in here? Snaketail said you would help us out."

Roarpaw didn't see anything in the den when he first poked his head in but he saw a dark grey figure slink out of the shadows in the back of the den after a few heartbeats. Faded violet eyes fell on the pair, pupils sharpening once they identified them. Roarpaw found himself caught up in the soft gaze for a few moments. The dark markings around the violet shapes made the color stand out in the most beautiful way. Briefly, Roarpaw wished his eyes stood out more against his pelt. Wolfpaw's green eyes always looked stunning against his russet and silver fur.

"Hey you two," Vigilpaw greeted, slipping out of the den. He hovered in the entrance, almost shyly, as he glanced between the two apprentices.

Being over twice Wolfpaw and Roarpaw's age, the other apprentice was much taller than the two but he still had a smaller frame compared to most cats. Roarpaw always thought it looked as though he was ready to curl in on himself but when he shared that thought with Wolfpaw, his brother had argued with him. He didn't quite understand Wolfpaw's reasons for looking up to cats like Vigilpaw or Echopelt or even the deputy Longberry. Roarpaw saved that kind of respect for warriors like Snaketail or Vigilpaw's brother Antpatch but Wolfpaw was a weird cat and Roarpaw was more than okay with that so he never brought it up again.

"What can I do for you?" Vigilpaw asked. "Snaketail and Patternheart wanted me to show you apprentice duties, right?"

"Right," Roarpaw said unenthusiastically. He tilted his head, peering up at Vigilpaw. "Any chance you know any good tricks to make them go faster? I'm going to be a great warrior. I don't have time to be cleaning."

"Unfortunately not," Vigilpaw said, dry humor in his tone. "Life doesn't have shortcuts, lazybones."

"I'm not lazy!" Roarpaw squawked indignantly. "I just want to focus on doing more important things. Like training! I'm going to be a great warrior like the cats in those stories that Echopelt likes telling."

"My mistake," Vigilpaw responded sarcastically. "You're lazy and your head's in the clouds."

"At least the clouds my head's in are nice ones," Roarpaw retorted. "Unlike you, storm cloud."

"How creative," Vigilpaw snorted, rolling his eyes.

"I don't like you," Roarpaw said, sticking his tongue out.

"Likewise."

"Chores won't be that bad," Wolfpaw assured his brother. "And it's important. A warrior serves his clan out on the battlefield and in camp. Even if we're not hunting or preparing for battle, we're helping our clanmates."

Roarpaw groaned. "Don't tell me you actually listened to Patternheart's punny little rant."

"Patternheart may seem silly sometimes but he's a great warrior. His heart's in the right place. A lot of cats lose sight of that," Vigilpaw told them. He shook out his pelt, herb remnants falling out of his fur and to the ground. "Now, who wants to learn how to extract mouse bile?"

* * *

"Come on, 'paw," Patternheart encouraged. "It's almost sunhigh! You don't have any excuse for tripping up this much. I know you can do it."

As the warrior said, it was almost sunhigh. The birds had long since given up on their morning song but a green-leaf breeze blew through ThunderClan's oaks, ruffling the leaves and keeping the air cool. Patternheart, Roarpaw, Snaketail, and Wolfpaw were in one of the training clearings for their first day of training. It was going well. Or at least it was for Wolfpaw.

Wolfpaw had taken to the hunter's crouch rather well. It had only taken a couple tries and a few tips from Snaketail for him to get it right and it hadn't taken long for him to be able to figure out how to tuck in his haunches correctly each time he tried. He was still having a bit of trouble with his tail but he was already farther along than either Snaketail or Patternheart ever could've expected so Snaketail had pulled him off to the other side of the clearing to practice his pounces.

Roarpaw, on the other paw, was having a bit of a harder time mastering the hunter's crouch. He'd gotten his paws placed right once but he couldn't seem to replicate it. His paws kept pushing themselves farther out, widening his stance like he was about to leap at another cat rather than a mouse or bird. If he was going to hunt, he needed to keep his paws closer to his chest.

Patternheart knew that Roarpaw understood that and he was trying his best, he really was, but his paws just didn't want to listen. It was like they had a mind of their own.

"Shift that paw more toward your chest and line up your hindpaw a bit more with that one," Patternheart instructed as Roarpaw tried to get his footing right.

"I know, I know," Roarpaw growled. Patternheart tilted his head at him. Roarpaw ducked his head, looking a bit guilty. "I'm sorry. I'm just getting frustrated. Wolfpaw got it so fast and I can't even get my footing right."

"Everyone learns at their own pace. From the ways your paws are looking, you might be better suited for fighting instead of hunting but this is still something you've gotta learn," Patternheart told him. "The hunter's crouch is the most basic move and you'll need it if you're going to learn any more and you've got to master it if you're going to join a hunting patrol any time soon."

"I know, I know," Roarpaw muttered, sitting down and shuffling his paws. Patternheart's heart reached out for him. He looked so dejected, like the usual spark he carried died. "And an apprentice has to hunt before taking from the fresh-kill pile."

Patternheart froze before quickly telling him, "Oh that's not something you need to worry about! You're a new apprentice. Apprentices don't usually start hunting for a quarter-moon. You don't think we let them starve for all that time, did you?"

Roarpaw shook his head. "I'm not worried about eating quite yet, Patternheart. I just feel like I should be getting this."

Patternheart spared a glance across the clearing to look at Snaketail, briefly wondering how the other warrior had gotten Wolfpaw to catch on so quickly. Snaketail was younger than him, only having had one apprentice before and that apprentice had switched paths after a couple moons so it wasn't experience that Snaketail had on him. Patternheart had trained cats before without any problems. Granted, all of them had taken a while to learn to hold the hunter's crouch properly. It was true that Roarpaw was having a rocky start but it wasn't anything that Patternheart didn't expect. Roarpaw was just getting more frustrated than most beginner cats would because Wolfpaw had already gotten the hang of it.

Patternheart watched Snaketail tell Wolfpaw to pause and watch him. The warrior dropped into a crouch and began explaining something to Wolfpaw as he tucked his tail down. Patternheart tilted his head thoughtfully. Snaketail was a great warrior and could be a bit short tempered at times but he never failed to amaze Patternheart with his patience when it came to training. Patternheart remembered when the younger tom was an apprentice. He never would have thought that the young cat who struggled so much to balance on his hind paws to become such a skilled fighter.

Patternheart tilted his head slightly, eyes focusing on Snaketail's paws. The stance they were held in looked unnatural for a heartbeat. It was the proper placing, of course, but Patternheart could tell that Snaketail was forcing it. Did Snaketail normally hold his paws wrong when pouncing? Then it dawned on him.

He broke into a ragged purr. How could he have missed it? It was so obvious!

Roarpaw seemed to take his purr the wrong way and flattened his ears defensively. "Hey! Don't laugh at me! I'm trying my best."

"I know you are, 'paw," Patternheart assured him. "I just remembered something. You want to hear a funny story?"

Roarpaw's expression brightened a bit and he dropped his uneven hunter's crouch to sit and look up at his mentor. "About what? Is it some cool story about some great warrior? Ooh, or a battle? Or one of the legendary big cats?"

Patternheart blinked a few times at Roarpaw's eagerness to hear a story. It amused him. His brother Echopelt always loved stories, especially the legends of LeopardClan. In the back of his mind, he recalled Roarpaw raving about LionClan at some point. He'd have to remember that he liked those stories. After all, Echopelt had told him plenty so he was sure he knew more than enough to satisfy Roarpaw's desire to hear them.

Patternheart shook his head at Roarpaw's question. "No, no legends today. I'm going to tell you a story about Snaketail."

"Snaketail?" Roarpaw questioned. Patternheart expected him to be disappointed but Roarpaw's eyes lit up and he jumped to his paws excitedly. "Awesome! He's such a great warrior! What are you going to tell me about? Some awesome catch he made? Or an enemy he defeated? Or-"

"No, no. None of that," Patternheart told him. "I'm going to tell you about when he was an apprentice. You see, he wasn't always a great warrior."

"You better not be telling him about the birch tree, Patternheart!" Snaketail yowled from across the clearing.

"I'm not!" Patternheart yowled back before ducking his head to whisper in Roarpaw's ear. He giggled softly. "I'm totally telling you about the birch tree, 'paw."

Roarpaw looked up at him, eyes begging to hear the story. "What happened?"

"It's not all that interesting of a story but it's a good one," Patternheart explained. "You never knew Snaketail's mentor but she was a great cat, had a lot of apprentices. She worked really hard with Snaketail but he couldn't quite grasp any of her lessons."

"Really? Snaketail?" Roarpaw questioned, reeling back slightly as shock flooded his features. "But he's one of ThunderClan's best warriors!"

"Well, he is now but back then he was probably one of the worst apprentices. Objectively, of course," Patternheart added quickly. To him, every cat was perfect and special in his or her own way. Even snarky little apprentices who couldn't catch a bird if his life depended on it like Snaketail was all those moons ago. "Anyway, when he was an apprentice for about three moons, his mentor thought it was time to start climbing trees. We're ThunderClan, afterall. SkyClan cats start a bit sooner but ThunderClan is never far behind. Climbing is in our blood."

"So what happened with the birch?"

"I'm getting there," Patternheart promised. "The two of them went to that big birch over by the WindClan border and Snaketail's mentor taught him how to dig his claws into the bark and showed him the best path up the trunk. When she thought Snaketail was ready, she told him to climb to the lowest branch. And do you know what Snaketail did?"

"He reached the top?" Roarpaw guessed.

"Nope!" Patternheart said. He purred, waving his tail behind him. "He didn't even make it halfway before falling."

"How?" Roarpaw asked, shocked. "I saw him climb a tree yesterday! He looked like a natural!"

"Well, he is now. But only because he worked so hard," Patternheart told him. "After he fell, his mentor thought he needed more time before trying again. But Snaketail wasn't about to give up. He kept going back to that tree and he tried and tried again. And do you know what he did?"

"He reached the top?" Roarpaw repeated though his voice lacked the certainty it had before.

Patternheart shook his head. "Nope. He just kept falling. And he kept going back. And do you know what he did?"

"You keep asking that," Roarpaw complained. "Just tell me already!"

"Snaketail realized that his mentor's lesson wasn't really working for him so he tried something new," Patternheart explained. "His mentor taught him now to find knots in the wood to get his footing and reach for the next place to hang onto. That just didn't work for Snaketail. Look at his build, he's a very compact cat. He doesn't really have the muscle to hold onto the trunk for very long. He realized that taking it slow just didn't work for him. When he climbed fast, he was able to get control of his momentum and climb better than a squirrel. Now, don't do that when you learn how to climb. It's a very difficult way to go about climbing and doing it is just asking to fall but Snaketail's a natural at it. He took something he didn't understand and made it his own."

"Wow." Roarpaw looked awed. "That's amazing!"

"I know, right?" Patternheart agreed. "Anyway, after that he realized that ThunderClan's traditional fighting style didn't work for him either. He can do it now, of course, but he found his own way first. You ever notice that he moves differently from other warriors? He keeps low to the ground and moves fast without wasting a lot of energy. That's why he's such a great warrior. He's got his own way of doing things and it works for him."

"He's such an awesome warrior," Roarpaw whispered. "So why are you telling me this?"

"Your paws don't want to stay where they need to be," Patternheart told him. "You hold them like a warrior ready to have a cat slam into him. It looks like hunting might not be your fortitude."

"But I need to learn the hunter's crouch! It's the easiest skill that a warrior knows!" Roarpaw protested. "I need to know it if I'm ever going to learn how to do… well, anything."

"Don't worry, I know," Patternheart told him, resting his tail tip on his shoulder. "But we've got to find what works for you. Your forepaws always want to go past your shoulders. If you're going to leap, your hind paws have to be lined up with them or you're going to trip and ram right into the ground."

"So I should hold them like this?" Roarpaw asked, dropping into a crouch. This time, he let his forepaws stay spread but he spread his hind paws as well. He lashed his tail a couple times to find balance before letting it go still. He could hold himself in this position no problem.

"Perfect," Patternheart told him. "Now, your paws are too far apart for you to control your jump. You build up your power in your haunches but your forepaws decide where you go. What do you think you should do to direct where you go?"

"Um… I could try leading with one paw?" Roarpaw suggested hesitantly. "My paws wouldn't hit the ground at the same time but I don't need to do that if I'm hunting. I could use one paw to push myself and the other to lash out."

"That sounds good," Patternheart told him. "Let's try that. Pretend I'm your prey."

Roarpaw shifted so he was back into a crouch. Patternheart ducked a bit, making himself an easier target. Roarpaw wiggled his haunches a bit before launching forward, landing on Patternheart's flank. His eyes lit up when he realized what he did and he broke into a purr. "Hey! I did it!"

"Good job, 'paw!" Patternheart purred. "Now let's try that again but let's try to keep your paws closer to you. It's the same thing, we're just going to push your paws back where they're supposed to be. We know you can pounce but you're not catching any prey like that."

"I know, I know. It just feels so weird holding my paws all close like that."

"Tell you what," Patternheart said. "If you can master the hunting crouch the way you're supposed to do it, we can try adapting your way into something we can use."

"I thought we were going to do that either way. Find my own way of doing it and all that."

"You didn't let me finish," Patternheart said in a teasing tone, gently thumping Roarpaw on the nose with the pad of one paw. "If you can get it down before the sun goes down, I'll teach you a battlemove."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really?" Snaketail called from the other side of the clearing just as Wolfpaw pounced on his tail. Snaketail quietly congratulated him before looking back to Patternheart. "Isn't it a bit soon for that? Apprentices usually don't learn battlemoves until at least a quarter-moon of training."

"I know," Patternheart responded, "but I think he could use something to look forward to. It'll just be a simple one. Like the forepaw slash! I learned that one before I was even out of the nursery."

"Yeah. Because Rushstalk was a terrible apprentice who doesn't have any sense of responsibility and didn't know any better than to teach a kit a battlemove. StarClan knows how he got a brother like Longberry. They're total opposites."

"Come on, plenty of kits learn the forepaw slash before they're out of the nursery. It's an easy move. A useful one but there's no harm in teaching it to them."

"Them? You want Wolfpaw to learn it too?"

"It wouldn't be fair if Roarpaw learned a new move and Wolfpaw didn't," Patternheart replied innocently.

"Hear that, Roarpaw?" Wolfpaw yowled, voice echoing across the training grounds and into the forest. "You better get the hang of that move for the both of us!"

Roarpaw stuck his tongue out. "You don't need another move! It's only our first day training and you're already onto stalking!"

"And he's never going to learn how to do it properly unless he keeps practicing," Snaketail grumbled, looking back at his apprentice. He waved his tail, shooing him away from him. "Let's go, Wolfpaw. Try again."

Patternheart purred at their antics before looking back to his own apprentice. "You heard that, Roarpaw? You better get this down!"

"I will, I will." Roarpaw nodded with a new vigor and dropped into a crouch, shuffling his paws so they were held closer to his body rather than the way they instinctively jutted out. "I'll get this!"

The afternoon was probably halfway over by the time Roarpaw made any significant progress but the young tom kept pushing himself despite the clear signs he was tiring. Patternheart couldn't be more proud. When he finally managed to pounce on him neatly after placing his paws in the right position, Patternheart had done as promised and taught him and his brother the forepaw slash. And that was when Patternheart realized that his earlier statement was wrong. He could be more proud.

Roarpaw and Wolfpaw were both reared up on their haunches, boxing at each other with sheathed paws. Neither had quite mastered the move. That was a lie. Neither had come close to even using the move. Right now, they were kind of just smacking each other with their paws. Not that it wasn't cute, Patternheart thought it was adorable, but it wasn't really what they were looking for.

"You're both leaning back too much," Snaketail told them. He sat on the opposite side of the brothers than Patternheart, his sharp eyes catching any mistakes either apprentice had. "You have tails. Use them. And stop waving your paws like that, Wolfpaw. They're not going to help you balance. Roarpaw, that's a good resting place for your paws but you're not on the defensive. Neither of you are going to hurt each other. Just try to attack."

Roarpaw lifted a paw with hesitance and Patternheart almost expected him to fall back when he lashed out. Instead, his swing arced perfectly and he hit Wolfpaw cleanly in the cheek with enough power to send the other tom crashing into the dirt floor.

"Wolfpaw!" Roarpaw squeaked, clearly surprised.

Wolfpaw sat up quickly, shaking dirt out of his already messy fur. His eyes were wide but not in shock. He broke into a purr and leaped at Roarpaw, knocking him over. "That was great, Roarpaw!"

"That was almost a perfect blow," Snaketail congratulated. He spoke slowly. Unlike Wolfpaw, he was clearly surprised. "Well done, Roarpaw."

"That's my 'paw!" Patternheart purred. "You caught on so fast! You're a warrior born!"

Roarpaw purred and pushed his brother off of him. "You mean it?"

"Don't feed his ego too much, Patternheart," Snaketail told him. "Both of them barely have the hunter's crouch down. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves."

Patternheart couldn't help but nod in agreement. Snaketail was right, of course. Roarpaw's apprenticeship had only begun and he was falling behind his brother just a bit but Patternheart saw great things for him and there was no way in StarClan that he wouldn't give it is all to make his new apprentice into the best warrior the five clans had ever seen.


	4. Calm Before the Storm

"This is so exciting!" Roarpaw whispered as he crossed the ThunderClan border for the first time, stepping onto WindClan's land. The lake was still in sight, the clan sticking to the three foxlengths rule as they crossed the moor, but that didn't change the fact that this was a new experience for the young apprentice.

ThunderClan's warriors and apprentices were passing through the moor in the dead of night, their path only illuminated by the full moon above. Roarpaw couldn't keep himself from bumbling around, looking at every new thing. He'd never been out of camp this late at night and the darkness that washed over the landscape made everything unrecognizable. He felt like he stepped into a whole new world. The shadows seemed darker, the green of WindClan's grasses became a different shade, the horizon gained an ominous glow… It was all new and exciting. He couldn't wait until he was old enough to explore the territory during the night on his own.

"What if we run into an owl?" Roarpaw asked Wolfpaw who was padding beside him. He reared up on his hind paws a bit, slashing the air with his forepaws before dropping down and resuming his steady trot. "We could take an owl, don't you think? That would be an amazing story, wouldn't it?"

Wolfpaw purred and nodded, making Roarpaw's tail curl happily. His brother didn't quite share his love for traditional stories and the prospect of adventure but his eyes glowed with interest. "Imagine hunting an owl. They fly so quietly, you wouldn't be able to hear them. We'd have to look for pellets or the signs of its nest or if it was out hunting, maybe it's kill. It would just come out of nowhere."

Roarpaw wrinkled his nose slightly in distaste. He didn't understand why Wolfpaw always focused on things like that but he'd hooked him into conversation and he wasn't about to pass up the chance to draw out a nighttime fantasy with his brother. It had been a long time since they'd told a story like this. Of course, now the tales they came up with could be more than tales. Now they could actually leave camp and live out one of their fantasies. Roarpaw felt giddiness bubble up in his chest at the thought.

"What a great battle it would be!" Roarpaw said dramatically, bouncing on his paws. "Imagine an owl swooping down from the branches, hidden by the shadows and the night sky, with two warrior brothers in its sight, claws outstretched, only to find-"

"Stop," Vigilpaw grumbled from where he was walking on Wolfpaw's other side. "You don't want to fight an owl. Have you ever seen an owl? They're terrifying! And you wouldn't want to mess with one at night. They've got sharp eyes, they'd see you long before you saw them. And they're strong. One beat of a wing and they could break a cat's spine and their claws can tear clean through your flank. Trying to fight one would be a death wish."

"It's just a story," Roarpaw grumbled, annoyed that Vigilpaw had killed his fun. "Imaginary, not real. Though it would be fun to go on some kind of adventure."

"No owls though," Wolfpaw added. "Maybe just escorting Echopelt or Frostbark to bring a message to another clan? That's far more realistic than fighting an owl. I mean, it could happen but that's not really the kind of thing I want to do late at night."

"It's just a story," Roarpaw repeated. Now his brother was teaming up with Vigilpaw? He really did not like the older tom. Too realistic, not imaginative enough. Too negative, not nearly as hopeful as he should be. Too quick to run, never standing his ground. What kind of cat was he anyway? Cats were meant to live. Vigilpaw really didn't seem to enjoy any of the things Roarpaw felt made a cat truly alive.

"You listen to the elders and Echopelt too much," Vigilpaw sighed. He flicked an ear, glancing off into the forest, before looking back to the two apprentices. "I don't really know where those two heard so many stories. You'd make a good elder, Roarpaw. You've got the imagination to keep a kit happy for moons."

"I'm not going to the elder's den anytime soon!" Roarpaw declared, putting a bit more energy into his step. "I'm going to be a great warrior and the elders are going to tell kits stories about me. Stories of Roarpaw are going to be even greater than stories of LionClan!"

"Why Roarpaw? Don't you want to be remembered by your warrior name?" Wolfpaw asked, tipping his head to one side.

"Well, yeah," Roarpaw said, time dimming a bit. He cleared his throat before correcting himself. "Stories of Roar… cat? Stories of Roarcat are going to be even better than stories of LionClan!"

"Roarcat. How creative," Vigilpaw responded sarcastically. He shook his head and muttered, "LionClan stories aren't even that good."

"What? How can you say that! LionClan stories are the best stories," Roarpaw argued, staring at Vigilpaw in shock. Did this cat have no kithood? The stories that Thymestalk told defined his youngest moons! Of course, when he found out the clan's mediator, Echopelt, also loved those old stories, that changed everything, but every cat's kithood was filled with visiting the elders and hearing old stories. When Roarpaw was a kit, there was only Thymestalk in the elder's den but Roarpaw was almost positive there even more retired warriors when Vigilpaw was a kit. Surely he and his littermates visited them. How could he not love the legends of the Great Clans?

"I'm more partial to TigerClan," Vigilpaw admitted and Roarpaw's disbelief vanished. His lip curled back and he broke into a purr. Vigilpaw blinked at him for a couple heartbeats before looking away and licking his shoulder fur in embarrassment.

"Me too," Wolfpaw agreed. He paused and tipped his head in thought. "Actually, I don't know if I like LeopardClan or TigerClan more. I think I'm leaning towards LeopardClan a bit more but I really like hearing about the tiger warriors too."

Roarpaw gasped in mock offense. "Traitor! LionClan is the greatest of the Great Clans! They were strong and courageous! They had the manes to prove it!"

"Yeah but LeopardClan had spots! They didn't need manes to draw attention to themselves. Their spots were a symbol of their hunting skills and their speed. They didn't need flashy manes to show how great they were," Wolfpaw argued. His eyes were alight with a spirit that Roarpaw rarely saw in his littermate and Roarpaw couldn't help but pour a bit more of himself into the argument. He loved getting his brother riled up about something he loved. "They were great but not in an obvious way. We don't remember them for the traditional things about them. LionClan's battles and their manes are so boring. LeopardClan is unique."

Roarpaw scoffed, rolling his eyes. "That's ridiculous! You just admitted that LionClan is the best but you still like LeopardClan anyway?"

"I've got to admit that LionClan's great but there's nothing exciting about them. It's cats who are different that are the most interesting," Vigilpaw jumped in.

"Oh really? So what's so great about TigerClan, Vigilpaw?"

"They've got stripes," Vigilpaw said. "You remember the story of how they got them?"

"Yeah," Roarpaw grunted. "They were jealous of LionClan and LeopardClan. They wanted to be special but they took the coward's path."

"They wanted to be different and they made a mistake but they came out better because of it," Vigilpaw corrected, flicking an ear. "TigerClan was banished to the night and they became masters of it. The night marked them, made them one of its own, and they became some of the strongest great cats."

"That is a good story," Roarpaw admitted, "but that story only happened because of the lions. If it wasn't for LionClan-"

"As interesting as it is to hear you three bicker about kit stories," Snaketail interrupted in his usual dry tone, "we've almost reached RiverClan territory. The tree bridge is coming up. Pay attention to your clanmates and you'll know what to do, new 'paws."

Roarpaw quieted, suddenly remembering what he'd been so excited about in the first place. He and Wolfpaw were about to go to their first Gathering.

The past half moon had been exciting, far more than Roarpaw could have imagined. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Roarpaw's imagination had proved itself to be rather extensive but it tended to drift toward the more unrealistic side of the spectrum, filled with fantasies, dreams, adventures, and stories. Wolfpaw, on the other paw, always leaned towards the brutally realistic side of it all. Roarpaw knew he had a strong imagination as well but he really had no idea what was going on in his brother's head at any given time. His late night dreams of kithood were probably closer to the training the brothers did each day than Roarpaw's wild fantasies but neither brother could have perfectly pictured what their apprenticeships would be like.

Both Snaketail and Patternheart were still hesitant to teach them battlemoves. As much as Roarpaw complained, he understood that. They weren't ready yet. Start at the bottom and work up and all that. Still, learning how to hunt and patrol was fun. Until today, Roarpaw had only seen ThunderClan territory and it was massive. Each time he patrolled, his head was filled with endless possibilities for what lay ahead. He knew it was unlikely for a clan cat to leave clan territory but it wasn't impossible and Roarpaw couldn't wait for what sorts of escapades laid in his future.

His days mostly consisted of morning patrols, sunhigh training sessions, and apprentice duties in the evenings with a hunting outing lying somewhere in the midst of that. Late at night when he had nothing better to do, Roarpaw would whine about how busy he was and how he never had time to do anything fun anymore but when he was out roaming the forest, Roarpaw never could find anything to complain about. He didn't miss his days in the nursery in the slightest. Being an apprentice gave him the freedom the never realized he craved and he loved every moment of it.

Wolfpaw and Roarpaw let Vigilpaw lead the way. They were surrounded by their clanmates so it was impossible to get lost but Roarpaw appreciated that he had a cat to look to for guidance tonight. He wasn't scared, that just wasn't the way he was, but Roarpaw had to admit he was a bit nervous and keeping his brother and friend close gave him that little bit of strength he needed to keep the swagger in his paws and his head held high.

Roarpaw wasn't totally sure where his mentor had disappeared off to. Patternheart was a likeable cat and Roarpaw didn't doubt that he had friends in other clans that he was eager to talk to. He didn't know where Snaketail had gone either. He wasn't exactly as warm as Patternheart but- okay, he was far from friendly but he had a charismatic, alluring quality to him. Roarpaw looked up to and respected him as a warrior. He was his superior at the moment so Roarpaw had never considered what he would be like to have as a friend but Roarpaw thought it wouldn't be so bad. Snaketail was casual and smart and he was just the kind of cat that was fun to be around. There were probably some cats in other clans who would enjoy talking to him.

Which meant the three apprentices were mentorless for the moment. Vigilpaw's mentor Frostbark would probably go off with the other medicine cats once the Gathering started… Now that he thought about it, Roarpaw was sure Vigilpaw would probably too. The thought made his belly prickle with worry. He and Wolfpaw had the other ThunderClan apprentices of course but Roarpaw honestly preferred the grumpy tom to his denmates. The two bickered but Vigilpaw was growing on him. Roarpaw didn't want him to leave quite yet.

Vigilpaw seemed to read his mind. His violet eyes glowed with amusement for a heartbeat before shouldering Roarpaw softly in a friendly manner. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Come on, it's our turn to cross the tree bridge. I'll introduce you to some other apprentices."

Roarpaw realized that the trio had indeed reached the front of the line of cats waiting to leap atop the massive tree that connected the island to the mainland. The sight of it filled Roarpaw with a tingling feeling he couldn't identify. He'd say it was excitement but it very well could have been paralyzing unease or just plain fear. Slipping would mean an unpleasant fall into the lake and he didn't know if he could swim.

"Remember to dig your claws into the bark," Vigilpaw told the pair before leaping onto the tree branch. His nimble paws found a grip quickly and he began crossing with the same dexterity he would if he were walking on solid ground. It was strange seeing such a nervous cat move with such confidence but it made Roarpaw feel a bit better.

Wolfpaw followed Vigilpaw first and Roarpaw kept a careful eye on him, watching for any sign of his littermate losing his footing, but Wolfpaw found his balance quickly. He wasn't as fast as Vigilpaw but it was clear that he wasn't having any problems crossing. And that meant it was Roarpaw's turn.

Roarpaw took a deep breath and put one paw forward, pushing himself onto the tree bridge in a single motion. He expected it to wobble under his weight but it remained in its place. He took a hesitant step forward, testing his footing. His paws merely placed themselves on the bark as if nothing was wrong. The tree didn't rock or sway. It was just like walking on the solid earth of the bank. Roarpaw let relaxation wash over his features. He hadn't realized he was so tense. He flicked his tail and began walking forward, still careful but without nearly as much fear this time.

Roarpaw hopped off the end of the bridge and shook out his pelt before shifting his gaze to stare out at the cats who filled the island's clearing. His eyes went wide at the sight of so many pelts. There were more cats here than he'd ever seen! Well, he expected that but the numbers were still shocking.

Roarpaw exchanged a glance with Wolfpaw and it seemed his brother shared his surprise. Vigilpaw froze for a moment but shook his head to himself and reclaimed his earlier bravado. "Come on, let me introduce you to Rainpaw and Wingpaw. I'm sure you'll like them."

Roarpaw stayed silent as Vigilpaw led them past all the clans' warriors and across the clearing. Roarpaw had no idea how he knew where he was going. If he was alone, Roarpaw was sure he'd stick to the less crowded edges. Sure, he might not have ended up meeting any other cats that way but at least it was safe that way. Besides, he wouldn't know what he was missing out on.

He was suddenly grateful for Vigilpaw's companionship tonight.

Vigilpaw waved his grey tail at a lighter grey she-cat, a white tom, and a brown tom that didn't look much younger than Vigilpaw. Vigilpaw purred at the sight of them. "Rainpaw! Wingpaw! Wetpaw! I want you to meet some new ThunderClan apprentices."

The three cats looked up at the sight of Vigilpaw and waved their tails in greeting. Roarpaw excitedly waved back.

"Guys, this is Roarpaw and this is Wolfpaw," Vigilpaw introduced. "They became apprentices about half a moon ago. Wolfpaw, Roarpaw, this is SkyClan's medicine cat apprentice, Rainpaw. These two are Wingpaw and Wetpaw of RiverClan. They're nice, probably four moons ahead of you."

"It's nice to meet you," Wingpaw said. "How are you liking being out of the nursery?"

"It's great!" Roarpaw exclaimed. "I never realized how boring naps and nursery games are."

"You'll be begging for naps once you get farther along in your training," Wetpaw responded, groaning good-naturedly. "The other day my mentor Ratnose had me dive into the currents to catch this giant fish he spotted. It was so exhausting but we had to keep hunting after that. No rest for a warrior, am I right or am I right?"

Roarpaw didn't find the story particularly interesting but Wolfpaw looked curious. "Did you catch it?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah. The fish was like this big," Wetpaw said, holding his paws out. "It must've fed all the queens and elders!"

Wingpaw snorted. "Right."

"You saw it, Wingpaw," Wetpaw said, nudging him with a playful gleam in his eye. "You've gotta admit that was a good catch."

"It was, it was."

Rainpaw purred. "I'm glad to hear your training's going well. I feel like I've been an apprentice forever and I know I'm not even half done with my training. Do you think Frostbark's going to give you your medicine cat name anytime soon, Vigilpaw?"

"I don't know," Vigilpaw answered with a shrug. He looked down at his paws for a couple heartbeats. "Frostbark's always saying that I'm doing well and I can do pretty much anything without checking with him first but I just don't feel ready yet, you know? My littermates have been warriors for a long time already so I know that progress-wise I'm far enough to get my name but I honestly wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer. Especially since Roarpaw and Wolfpaw have taken over the apprentice duties that I have to do."

"Lucky duck," Wingpaw muttered.

Roarpaw made a face. "And you called me lazy that first time we cleaned nests."

Vigilpaw waved his tail behind him. "It's not lazy if you're tired of doing them after seasons and seasons. Apprentice duties are the worst."

"They're not that bad," Wolfpaw spoke up. "I mean, yeah, I don't like getting dirt or bile on my paws but some cat's got to do it. It's far from glorious but I think cats appreciate it."

"I like glory."

"I know you do, Roarpaw. I do too but sometimes it's the less glorius jobs that mean the most."

Rainpaw tilted her head, peering at Wolfpaw. "You're an odd one, aren't you?"

"They've both got bees in their brain," Vigilpaw muttered. He paused and blinked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, Roarpaw does. I think Wolfpaw's just got moss in his ears half the time."

"I thought you said I had my head in the clouds, dark and stormy," Roarpaw spoke, a hint of humor riding his tone.

Vigilpaw matched it. "You can have both. You're not limited to just one."

"Hey, you guys think ShadowClan's showing up anytime soon?" Wingpaw asked suddenly. He glanced around, inspecting the warriors seated around them. "I don't see them anywhere and the leaders are talking to each other. It doesn't look like they're happy."

Roarpaw craned his neck to look at the great oak where the clan leaders stood. As Wingpaw said, there were four cats seated on the branches. Roarpaw only recognized Vinestar but that wasn't the point. There was a distinct lack of ShadowClan in the clearing.

"The clouds haven't covered the moon," Vigilpaw murmured, looking up at the sky. "StarClan isn't angry. Maybe they're just late? Maybe a tree fell on their usual path and they had to find a new one."

"It's greenleaf," Wolfpaw pointed out. "There haven't been any storms or winds strong enough to do something like that."

"Wetpaw and I are going to go find our mentors," Wingpaw declared, rising to his paws abruptly. "Maybe you should go find yours and ask what's going on?"

Roarpaw opened his mouth to say that the action seemed unnecessary but he suddenly noticed that the gathered cats had broken into murmurs and a thin layer of nervousness sat in the air. The clans were uneasy. Roarpaw suddenly craved Patternheart's comforting presence at his side.

"That sounds like a good idea," Rainpaw said. She looked to Wolfpaw and Roarpaw. "Do you two want to stick with me and Vigilpaw and go sit by the medicine cats or do you want to go find your mentors?"

"Snaketail and Patternheart usually sit at the front," Vigilpaw said before either of the brothers could answer. "Not as close as the medicine cats but Snaketail usually sticks close to Longberry. Not enough to intrude on the deputies but close enough. And Patternheart usually ends up near Echopelt. The mediators don't really have a spot but Echopelt usually sits somewhere between the medicine cats and the deputies."

Roarpaw was impressed for a moment. He doubted he would've been able to make those types of observations.

"We should just go find Patternheart and Snaketail," Wolfpaw answered. He waved his tail at Vigilpaw and Rainpaw before beckoning his littermate after him. "Let's go, Roarpaw."

Roarpaw darted after his brother, squeezing through the mass of cats. Normally, he would be a bit more cautious and respectful around the warriors but none of the cats paid him any mind, save a WindClan elder whose tail he accidentally stepped on.

Wolfpaw and Roarpaw managed to free themselves from the mass and emerged at the front of the clearing before long. As Vigilpaw had said, Patternheart was sitting with Echopelt. He saw them almost immediately, blue eyes widening at the sight of them.

"Hey there, 'paws," Patternheart greeted cheerfully. "How are you enjoying your first Gathering?"

"It was great!" Roarpaw exclaimed. If not for Wolfpaw's interruption, he probably would have told Patternheart all about the SkyClan and RiverClan apprentices he'd met but they had more important things to focus on right now.

"Vigilpaw started getting kind of worried so everyone went to go find their mentors," Wolfpaw explained. He sat down, blinking up at Echopelt. "ShadowClan's not here. That's not normal, is it?"

"It's not," Echopelt told him with a shake of his head, "but sometimes clans miss Gatherings. It shouldn't be anything to worry about. Did Vigilpaw say anything about StarClan?"

"He said that the clouds weren't covering the moon so StarClan wasn't angry," Roarpaw piped up.

"A mouse could've told you that," a voice grunted. Roarpaw looked over his shoulder to see Snaketail padding over. He dipped his head to Patternheart and the apprentices before looking to Echopelt. "Longberry told me to come get you. The deputies want to talk to you."

The mediator nodded and murmured a goodbye to his brother before running off to sit at the base of the great oak, leaning in to join the deputies' quieted chatter. Snaketail remained silent but took Echopelt's place. He blinked curiously at Patternheart and tilted his head at the apprentices, silently asking a question that Roarpaw couldn't quite catch.

"The apprentices all went to go sit with their mentors," Patternheart told him.

"Smart," Snaketail commented. He looked to Wolfpaw and Roarpaw. "Did you overhear anything on your way over?"

Roarpaw shook his head. He hadn't really been listening but he'd heard a few snippets of conversation. Nothing that sounded interesting though.

"RiverClan and SkyClan sounded a bit more worried than WindClan cats," Wolfpaw offered.

"Really?" Roarpaw questioned. He hadn't sensed anything wrong. "Wingpaw, Rainpaw, and Wetpaw seemed fine."

"That big tom that smelled like fish was talking to this grey she-cat with big haunches about how ShadowClan's scent markers haven't been refreshed in awhile and she said it was the same on SkyClan's side," Wolfpaw explained. Roarpaw blinked a few times and told himself that he needed to pay more attention to his surroundings. If Wolfpaw noticed and he didn't...

Snaketail frowned. "That can't be good."

"I'm sure everything's fine," Patternheart said but his voice lacked his usual spirit.

"Cats of all clans!" a voice suddenly boomed over the island. "It seems ShadowClan isn't showing up tonight so we will hold the Gathering without them."

"That's Terrtainstar, SkyClan's leader," Patternheart whispered in Roarpaw's ear. Roarpaw nodded, looking up at the light grey tom. Roarpaw wasn't sure what to think of him but he didn't get the chance to decide as Patternheart began to point out the other leaders to him. "That she-cat right there is Valorstar, RiverClan's leader. And that's Talonstar, WindClan's leader. They're good friends with ShadowClan's leader and deputy, Beanstar and Markbranch, but you know WindClan and ShadowClan are on opposite sides of the lake. They probably don't know any more than ThunderClan."

Roarpaw nodded, grateful to know the names of the cats addressing the clans.

"ThunderClan and WindClan don't share a border with ShadowClan," Vinestar spoke, looking to Valorstar and Terrainstar. "Have there been any signs that something is wrong on your ends?"

"ShadowClan hasn't refreshed their border markers in about half a moon," Valorstar told them, Terrainstar nodding in agreement. Roarpaw tilted his head. It seemed Wolfpaw was right. "ShadowClan is a small clan so we thought that perhaps an illness arrived in their camp and they were too short pawed to patrol their borders."

"It's greenleaf," Terrainstar pointed out. "It's unlikely any sickness would break out during these moons of the season cycle."

"I know," Valorstar sighed, turning her head. "RiverClan considered checking on ShadowClan but you know how ShadowClan is. They'd see any of our cats on their land as an invasion."

Snaketail snorted quietly. "Any cat with half a brain knows RiverClan has no interest in gaining territory."

"SkyClan could send a patrol," Terrainstar offered. "We're on a bit better terms with ShadowClan than RiverClan."

"Not by much," Valorstar answered doubtfully.

"ThunderClan could send some cats as well," Vinestar added. "WindClan and ThunderClan are too far from ShadowClan to have any hostilities and the clans' mediator lives in ThunderClan. Taking some ThunderClan cats along would surely send the message that SkyClan comes in peace."

"That sounds like a good plan," Talonstar said.

Terrainstar nodded. "Thank you, Vinestar. I'll send Redpath to your camp tomorrow to talk about this. In the meantime, we should get this Gathering underway, shall we?"

"Of course," Vinestar said and looked to Valorstar. "Would RiverClan like to share its news first?"

Valorstar responded with a sharp nod. "RiverClan is proud to announce that one of our queens, Freckleshine, has delivered a litter of three healthy kits. RiverClan looks forward to having some new life in the camp in the coming moons. Other than that, greenleaf has been fortunate to us. The river is filled with fish and the clan is eating well."

"Prey runs well in WindClan as well," Talonstar spoke up. "Young rabbits are coming out of the tunnels thanks to the warm weather and our warriors have done an excellent job feeding our clan."

"I'm happy to hear that," Vinestar said. "ThunderClan has two new apprentices this moon. Cats of all clans, I welcome Roarpaw and Wolfpaw!"

"Wolfpaw! Roarpaw! Wolfpaw! Roarpaw!"

Roarpaw hadn't expected the clans to call his name but it was a welcome surprise. He lifted his head proudly, letting any cats who looked his way see that he wasn't afraid. He heard a purr at his side and saw that Wolfpaw was soaking up the attention as much as he was.

"Other than that, prey runs well in ThunderClan," Vinestar continued. "Our senior warrior Poppyclaw has decided it's time to retire and has joined Thymestalk in the elder's den. ThunderClan honors her for her service to the clan. Terrainstar?"

"SkyClan too welcomes a senior warrior to the elder's den. We honor Yarrowpelt and hope she enjoys many seasons of peace off the battlefield," Terrainstar said before continuing. "Some of our warriors found a couple of dogs on our territory but we chased them off. I'd warn ShadowClan that we saw twolegs heading in their direction but…"

Terrainstar trailed off and shrugged, silently finishing his sentence.

Vinestar nodded now that all this moon's news had been shared. "This Gathering has gone longer than expected. ThunderClan! We're leaving."

Roarpaw tried to ignore the disappointment bubbling in his belly. He'd hoped he'd have the chance to talk to a few more cats but it seemed tonight was not the night. Snaketail got to his paws, beckoning Patternheart and the apprentices after him.

"Do you think ShadowClan's alright?" Wolfpaw asked as the clan began climbing onto the tree bridge.

"ShadowClan is strong," Snaketail told him. "I'm sure they're fine."

Roarpaw exchanged a glance with Patternheart and saw worry glittering in his eyes. Roarpaw swallowed and didn't say anything. He had the feeling that this wasn't going to be as simple as he hoped it would.

* * *

"Is that really your apprentice?"

Wolfpaw looked up to see Snaketail and Patternheart watching him and Roarpaw with a pair of cats that Wolfpaw didn't recognize. A black tom was staring at him with sharp, judgmental eyes. Wolfpaw peered back for a few heartbeats before glancing at his mentor in question. Snaketail just shook his head. Wolfpaw decided nothing was wrong and resumed grooming. If Snaketail thought nothing was wrong, Wolfpaw trusted that nothing was wrong. Roarpaw wasn't as complacent though.

"Hey! What are these cats doing in our camp?" Roarpaw demanded, rising to his paws. "And what's wrong with Wolfpaw?"

"It looks like some cat dragged him backwards through a bramble bush," the black tom responded, eyeing Wolfpaw's fur. He looked slightly… Wolfpaw couldn't identify what the tom's facial features were trying to convey. Disgust? Distaste? Disapproval? Whatever it was, Wolfpaw didn't like it. It felt condescending. He wasn't sure if a cat had ever looked at him like that before.

Wolfpaw glanced at his fur. It had a russet coloring like Roarpaw's but he had hints of silver in it rather than his brother's ginger. He didn't understand why this stranger was so disgusted by him. Sure, it was a bit unkempt but not worthy of this type of reaction. "My fur's just like that."

"I can't believe you let your apprentice look so… so…untidy," the tom trailed off and flicked an ear at Snaketail. "You've always seemed like a cat who'd be strict with his apprentice."

"I am but even I can't control another cat's fur," Snaketail responded, annoyed. His yellow eyes narrowed but they weren't hostile. Wolfpaw felt a flash of comfort that his mentor was defending him. He was never really sure if Snaketail liked him or not and it was nice to know he was willing to stand up for him.

"You have kind fur," Patternheart said softly.

"Thank you?" Wolfpaw blinked, not understanding Patternheart's gesture. He wasn't offended by the stranger's words or sensitive about his fur. He knew it was messy. There was nothing he could do about that. So why-

"The kind of fur you find on a dog's butt!" Patternheart cracked loudly, eyes ablaze with mirth.

Wolfpaw broke into laughter. "That's a good one!"

"Well, at least he's aware of it," the black tom muttered. "Where's Vinestar? We're not here to look at apprentices."

The black tom padded away and the other stranger, a red furred cat, blinked apologetically at the pair of apprentices. "Don't mind him. Archpelt's just stressed. I guess he had high expectations for what kind of apprentices warriors like Snaketail and Patternheart would have. He tends to forget cats are just cats sometimes. And his manners."

"Um… Don't worry about it?" Wolfpaw glanced at his mentor again. He didn't know what was happening or why these strange cats were in camp.

"This is Redpath, the SkyClan deputy," Snaketail explained with a loose gesture. "He and Archpelt are here to talk with Vinestar and Longberry about ShadowClan."

Oh. That was right. Wolfpaw mentally scolded himself for not recognizing the visitors' scents. They smelled distinctly of oak and pine and they both had thick, well-muscled hind legs like all SkyClan cats did. It was quite obvious now that he thought about it.

"We should join the others," Redpath said to Snaketail and Patternheart. "We don't have all day."

"Wait, you two are going with them?" Roarpaw asked, blinking at the pair of mentors. "I thought we had training."

"After sunhigh, 'paw," Patternheart told him dismissively as he turned away. "We have more important things to do right now."

"I get that but how come you and Snaketail are going?" Roarpaw asked. Wolfpaw nodded in agreement. It made no sense. Vinestar and Longberry he could understand. Not Snaketail and Patternheart. They didn't have anything to do with clan business.

"Patternheart and Snaketail are well respected ThunderClan cats," Redpath told the two. "Their input is valued and it would be a waste not to include them."

Wolfpaw and Roarpaw exchanged a glance. Wolfpaw had known that the two were well ranked within ThunderClan but he didn't know that they were regarded so highly by the other clans or had the seniority to join these kinds of meetings. Wolfpaw felt his pelt heat up with pride. He was lucky to have such a great mentor.

"What are we supposed to do when you're doing that?" Wolfpaw asked. "Apprentice duties?"

"Ugh," Roarpaw groaned before pausing and brightening. "Hey, can we watch? I promise we'll be really quiet. You won't even know that we're there."

"I don't know…" Patternheart said hesitantly but Redpath didn't seem to share his reluctance.

"Let them, Patternheart. Apprentices should know what's going on in their clan," Redpath said. He shifted his gaze so his eyes were on the two brothers again. They sharpened, suddenly becoming focused and stern. "Just promise me that you two have the sense to know this has nothing to do with you. No chasing after any patrols that go out, no spreading any gossip with your denmates, no interrupting. You got that?"

"You have my word," Roarpaw responded, nodding seriously.

"Of course," Wolfpaw answered. "We know better than to do something so mousebrained."

"Good," Redpath said, brightening. He turned around and began padding across the clearing. "Shall we then?"

Patternheart joined him but Snaketail took a moment to hiss a couple last orders to the younger toms. "You do everything he just said, you got it? Either of you do anything I don't like and you're on tick duty for a moon. Both of you."

Roarpaw and Wolfpaw nodded silently and followed after the warrior trio to the highrock where Vinestar, Longberry, Frostbark, Echopelt, and surprisingly Rushstalk were waiting with Archpelt. Wolfpaw noticed that Terrainstar wasn't there but he decided not to dwell on it. SkyClan's leader didn't need to be there and having two leaders in one camp would be just plain rude, Wolfpaw thought. Vinestar looked up as the cats approached and smiled. "Alright. Everyone's here. Now we can begin."

Roarpaw and Wolfpaw kept their mouths shut as they shuffled off to the side, making sure they were far enough not to intrude but close enough to listen. Wolfpaw could feel Roarpaw shaking beside him with excitement. He flicked him with his tail, silently telling him to contain himself. Roarpaw blinked apologetically and focused on the conversation before them.

"Longberry?" Vinestar looked to his deputy. "What do we know?"

Wolfpaw had never interacted much with Longberry. He knew his littermate Treeshade was close friends with Wolfpaw and Roarpaw's father, Dapplefoot, and that his other littermate, Rushstalk, had a bit of a reputation in the clan as a flaky scatterbrain. Wolfpaw had spoken with both of them with some point or another but had never seen much of Longberry outside clan meetings. He knew he was a good warrior. How good, he didn't know. He'd once overheard Spiderwatcher and Inktrail complain that he needed to lighten up a bit but that was about it.

"Well, ThunderClan didn't have any suspicions about ShadowClan's wellbeing until last night," Longberry began, "when ShadowClan didn't show up to the moonly Gathering. When we returned, we smelled no scent trails that implied ShadowClan attempted to pass through our territory to get to the island that night and I can assume that the same goes for SkyClan. Both of ShadowClan's neighbor clans reported that none of ShadowClan's borders have been marked in the past half moon but all of our medicine cats claim to have seen ShadowClan's medicine cats Sneezefeather and Sootpaw at the last half-moon meeting at the Moonpool."

Frostbark nodded, confirming Longberry's words. "They both seemed well. Whatever happened to ShadowClan must have been sudden."

"We don't know that anything happened," Longberry pointed out. He wrapped his tail around him and sat up straighter in a serious way that Wolfpaw wasn't sure he liked. "It's greenleaf so we can cross illness or weather-related issues off our list of possible problems plaguing our pine-dwelling peers."

Wolfpaw's mind whirled at Longberry's words. Why did he talk so… so weird? His mind struggled to follow the other cat's train of thought. It was far from impossible but it took far more effort than Wolfpaw would ever admit. He glanced to his brother, expecting him to be as confused as he was, but he was staring at Longberry with curiosity and awe in his gaze.

"Longberry's so smart," Roarpaw whispered.

"He's just using confusing words."

"I know! I have no idea what he's saying but it makes perfect sense at the same time."

Wolfpaw wanted to smack his own face with his tail. Why did he end up with all the brains in the litter? Roarpaw wasn't an idiot but Wolfpaw was almost positive he overestimated his brother's intelligence at times. A lot of the time. All the time. Okay, he'd admit it. His brother wasn't the brightest fox in the den.

"I doubt that ShadowClan has miraculously decided to cut itself off from the other clans and its daily responsibilities," Longberry went on. "I'd say the most likely situation they are facing is that twolegs have decided to build one of those colorful twoleg pelt nests on their territory as they often do in greenleaf."

"We did see some twolegs looking for a place to put their color-pelts," Archpatch spoke up, "but even if they were on ShadowClan territory, I don't see why that would stop them from marking their borders or coming to the Gathering."

"Sometimes twolegs steal clan cats or loners. Maybe ShadowClan lost a few warriors and they're too busy trying to save them to bother with border markers or Gatherings," Patternheart suggested.

Vinestar frowned. "If that were the case, wouldn't they ask for help?"

"You know how stubborn ShadowClan can be," Echopelt pointed out.

"Yeah but Beanstar would put their clanmates before their pride any day," Vinestar argued. "I really think they would ask for help if their warriors were in danger."

Rushstalk cleared his throat, speaking up for the first time since the meeting began. Wolfpaw jumped slightly at the sound he made. He'd forgotten he was there.

"I remember some ShadowClan elder telling me this old ShadowClan story. A real one, not those made up stories that Echopelt likes so much. Basically a long time ago, this stranger came to ShadowClan territory and convinced the clan to turn away from StarClan. Apparently SkyClan had pissed him off and he had some vendetta against the clans or something. I don't really remember," Rushstalk said with a casual shrug. He yawned and shook himself for a few heartbeats before continuing. "Now, I'm not saying that's what's going on but that is what I'm saying."

"That's… ridiculous," Snaketail said slowly.

Rushstalk snorted. "Yeah. After I said it, I realized that was kinda dumb. Nevermind. But my point is that the clans have faced some weird stuff before so I really don't think that we'll figure it out by sitting around talking about it. That elder told me that… Wait, hold on. Give me a sec and it'll come to me."

Patternheart shuffled his paws. "I remember that story. Some ThunderClan apprentices went to ShadowClan territory and helped them out."

"Oh that's right! Snaketail, you like history and stuff. You're always telling me history repeats itself and we can learn from it," Rushstalk went on. A few cats leaned forward a bit. Wolfpaw had no idea how the other cats could be so invested in his words. To him, it sounded like the tom was just spouting half-formed, scatterbrained ideas without putting any thought into them first though he had to admit that Rushstalk's words were making sense so far. "I think we should take a lesson from the past and send some cats in to check up on them."

"That's what we were planning on doing in the first place," Longberry stated, irritated.

"Wait! You didn't let me finish! It wasn't just those mousebrained apprentices that saved ShadowClan."

"They had a back up plan," Patternheart said. He tipped his head to one side. "But I don't remember what it was."

"Me neither. It was a long time ago, cats forget stuff sometimes. It's no biggie," Rushstalk said, shrugging. He waved his tail as if he didn't already have the assembled cats' attention. "Anyway, what I was trying to say was that we should have two patrols."

"I do not follow your train of thought, Rushstalk," Longberry told him but it seemed his patience had been restored. "Explain."

"In case nothing's wrong and ShadowClan's just being antisocial, we should send in a non-aggressive patrol," Rushstalk said, abestnly scuffing the ground with his forepaw. "Stick the clan deputies, the medicine cats, and the mediator on it so they don't get mad at us. Then, in case there actually is something wrong, have another patrol or two on standby with warriors to run in if things go poorly."

"That does sound like a sound plan," Longberry admitted. "Well done, Rushstalk."

"Aw. Think nothing of it, Lolo," Rushstalk said with a smirk.

"Don't call me that. Just because I appreciate your… unique thought process doesn't mean I enjoy your commentary."

"I know you love me."

"I think that would work well," Vinestar said thoughtfully. "Redpath?"

"I agree. Longberry and I would lead the first patrol. We'd take Echopelt, Frostbark, and our medicine cat Longear but who would lead the second patrol?" Redpath asked. He rose to his paws. "Neither SkyClan or ThunderClan should overstep the others when we are dealing with the affairs of a third clan so I suggest that we have two back up patrols with a mix of SkyClan and ThunderClan cats on each and a cat from each clan leading them."

"Wise," Vinestar commented. "Do you have any preference as to who leads them?"

Redpath flicked an ear in Archpelt's direction. "Archpelt is here for a reason. He has proven himself capable. As for ThunderClan… Rushstalk has proven himself a strong strategist but Snaketail is far better known for his fighting skill while Patternheart has the respect of more of my clan. Any one of them would be an excellent choice."

"Oh, honey, I'm allergic to responsibility. You put me in charge of a patrol and I'm curling up like it's the middle of the night and I've been running around the twolegplace for a moon."

"I think Snaketail's better suited to lead a battle patrol than me," Patternheart said sheepishly. "I can fight but I'm more of a supporter than a leader. He's way better at making the tough calls than me."

Wolfpaw looked to his mentor, keeping his mouth quiet. He had no idea other cats looked up to Snaketail so much. It seemed the dark tom hadn't realized either because Snaketail blinked his yellow eyes in surprise before he reclaimed his composed demeanor and nodded. "Of course. Who should I take?"

"We can decide that the day we head out," Archpelt said. "When should we meet?"

"How about in three sunrises?" Longberry suggested. "Both clans will have more than adequate time to prepare."

"I think that sounds good," Vinestar said. He dipped his head to the SkyClan visitors. "Do either of you have any interest in staying or shall I ask some warriors to escort you off our territory?"

"We don't need an escort," Redpath said but it didn't seem any cat was having that.

"Nonsense," Longberry stated firmly. "Snaketail, Patternheart, you need to take your apprentices out, don't you? Escort these two to their own territory on your way out."

"Of course, Longberry," Snaketail said with a dip of his head.

Patternheart suddenly lost his serious manner and bounced to his paws, lashing his tail excitedly. "Come on, 'paws! We're heading out!"

Wolfpaw and Roarpaw were on their paws in a heartbeat, tired of sitting still. The two bounded to their mentor's sides and quickly left the camp with the SkyClan warriors not far behind.

"This sounds awesome!" Roarpaw declared, circling the group as they padded into the forest. "What do you think you're going to find on ShadowClan territory? Dogs? Badgers? Fo-"

"They don't want trouble, Roarpaw," Wolfpaw interrupted before Roarpaw could go off anymore. For StarClan's sake, why didn't Roarpaw think before he spoke? He knew that Roarpaw's love for fantasizing was just a quirk of his but these warriors didn't know that. They'd just think he was some kind of immature apprentice who still had kit fluff in his ears.

Roarpaw didn't seem to mind though. "I know, I know. But you always say we've gotta think realistically. I'm just thinking of every possible situation!"

Patternheart chuckled. "That sounds more like dreaming than being realistic. I'm sure everything's fine. Without a _shadow_ of a doubt."

"Why'd you say that like it was a joke? It wasn't even funny," Snaketail muttered. He shook out his pelt and glanced back at Redpath and Archpelt. "ThunderClan thanks you for your aid. I'm sorry that you have to deal with these three."

"They're not so bad," Redpath chuckled. "It's nice to see some life in the young cats."

"Hey! I'm not that young," Patternheart responded in mock offense. "I'm old enough to be your father."

Redpath rolled his eyes. "We were apprentices at the same time, Patternheart."

"I know, I know," Patternheart chuckled. "I'm still older than you though."

"By like three moons!"

"I'm still too old for you of all cats to be calling me a kit!"

Wolfpaw purred as he watched the two bicker. It was strange seeing a warrior so friendly with a cat from another clan but that was Patternheart. He would probably invite a fox back to camp and shower it with kindness until it turned into a cat.

"We've reached the border," Snaketail announced unceremoniously. He shot Redpath and Archpelt an expectant glance. "See you in three sunrises."

"In three sunrises," Redpath agreed with a dip of his head before crossing back to his own side of the border. Archpelt waved his tail before following close behind.

Patternheart called the apprentices closer and began leading the group to the training grounds but silence hung thinly between the four cats. Roarpaw was looking between them, clearly trying to figure out what was going on without breaking the silence. Wolfpaw didn't share his confusion. Snaketail's expression was hard and Patternheart was missing the usual pep in his step. It was clear to him that the two were worried about the upcoming patrol.

Wolfpaw felt a twinge of worry in his belly. His mentor and his brother's mentor would go into battle soon and he could tell that the matter was serious. He couldn't help but wonder if they would come back. He hoped so. They had to.


	5. The Worst Storms Strike Unexpectedly

It was morning. Longberry always liked mornings, especially in greenleaf. The atmosphere was comfortingly warm yet soothingly cool at the same time. He found it rather pleasant. He didn't quite understand it but it felt nice in his fur. The sun's rays weren't quite as strong as they were at sunhigh but it was still bright enough to fill the forest with a happy, soothing aura.

Even more than the weather, Longberry enjoyed the quiet. Sounds always seemed sharper in the cool air. The world had a tranquility to it before any animals were fully awake. Birds sang and fluttered high in the treetops while prey scuttled around on the ground just waiting to be caught. There weren't many cats out and those who were rarely wanted to penetrate the peace. It was nice.

Unfortunately, today was not a day for a morning stroll through ThunderClan's woodland forests. No, today Longberry was leading a patrol with a mission in mind. He couldn't afford to be idle.

"We're crossing onto SkyClan territory," Longberry informed the patrol padding after him though he was sure the gesture was unnecessary. Any cat who knew how to use his nose could tell when he was passing onto another clan's territory and these cats were the best of the best. He trusted they all knew what they were doing.

Snaketail trailed not far behind Longberry with Patternheart at his side. Longberry was glad to see that the comradery of mentorship was benefiting their relationship. The two were friends but barely. They were civil to each other but too different to get along the way they should. Patternheart was too bubbly, bright, and cheerful while Snaketail could be darker, pessimistic, and sarcastic. Both were outstanding warriors but they just rubbed against each other the wrong way. Perhaps that was for the better. They complemented each other nicely but Longberry didn't think he'd be able to handle them if they got along all the time. They were brilliant cats but combining Snaketail's clever mind with Patternheart's spirit was just asking for trouble.

Behind them padded Patternheart's brother Echopelt, the clans' mediator. Longberry rather liked the spotted tom. He had a level head on his shoulders. He shared his littermates' silliness and he liked stories far more than Longberry thought any cat older than three moons should but he was good at his job. More than good. Longberry doubted any cat understood the way cats thought better than Echopelt. It was thanks to him that the clans remained at peace for so many seasons.

Frostbark, ThunderClan's medicine cat, was deep in conversation with Mintleaf and Larkwhisker but paused briefly as the patrol met the border. Longberry didn't know what to make of Frostbark but he respected her deeply and trusted the clan in her paws. She was an excellent healer and had saved Longberry during his apprentice days one or two times more than the deputy would like to admit. He looked back on those moons with embarrassment. He could be foolish and headstrong at times and if not for Frostbark, his pelt surely would bear a few more scars than it did now. Longberry was confident that other cats in his clan could say the same.

Larkwhisker and Mintleaf were both good warriors and Longberry was pleased that Vinestar had chosen them for this patrol. Larkwhisker was a big cat with a bigger heart but he also had a tongue with sharpness that rivaled that of a cat's claws. Mintleaf was a bit softer than he was but she was still a vicious fighter. If any trouble came his way, Longberry had full faith that those two would run to his aid in a heartbeat.

Mintleaf's son and Frostbark's apprentice Vigilpaw had also joined the patrol. He wasn't exactly Longberry's first pick. He was the youngest of the group and there was a reason the cat wasn't a warrior apprentice. He jumped at every noise and was spooked far too easily, not to mention that he blew any situation way out of proportion which Longberry found bothersome at times, but Longberry was glad that they had another set of healing paws in the group. He also had a good eye for danger and Longberry knew whichever secondary patrol he ended up on was lucky to have him watching their tails.

Surprisingly, he wasn't walking with his mother or his mentor. Instead, he had taken to the flank of Longberry's littermate Rushstalk. Longberry never quite understood Rushstalk and Vigilpaw's relationship but he knew they were good friends. Vigilpaw was quiet and sullen and Rushstalk was… a bit extra in Longberry's opinion. Anxiety and eccentrics didn't mix well but the two toms got along better than either did with most cats.

Overall, Longberry was satisfied with his patrol. He was sure that they were the right cats for the job.

The patrol crossed the SkyClan border without waiting for a border patrol to come by as they usually would. Longberry wasn't about to waste time they didn't have with formalities. They were already welcomed, there was no reason for them to wait.

"Everyone had been on SkyClan territory before?" Longberry asked and got a series of nods and murmurs as an answer. He turned his attention back to the path, glad he didn't have to waste his voice explaining anything to his clanmates.

They reached the SkyClan camp before long and were met with a patrol waiting by the entrance. A quick glance told him that Terrainstar had chosen the cats for this patrol well. Redpath, Archpelt, and Longear were there of course but Newtdusk, Webtail, Mudbush, Lynxclaw, and the medicine cat apprentice Rainpaw joined as well. All strong warriors, Longberry observed. He gave Redpath a nod of approval.

Terrainstar noticed the ThunderClan cats' arrival and padded over with a respectful dip of his head. "Longberry."

"Terrainstar," Longberry responded, matching his gesture.

"I trust you and Redpath to do as you need," Terrainstar told him. "Don't spend too long on ShadowClan territory, you hear? I'll send a patrol after you if you're not back by sundown."

Sundown? That was generous seeing as it wasn't even sunhigh yet. But Longberry didn't find the warning necessary. "That's what the secondary patrols of warriors are for."

"Of course," Terrainstar said, "but ShadowClan's behavior has been most unusual and I'm not going to lose any ThunderClan cats while in an alliance."

Longberry merely dipped his head again. "I understand. Unless you have anything new to tell us, we'll be on our way."

Terrainstar shook his head. "Nothing has changed. Good luck and may StarClan light your path."

Longberry didn't say anything as he turned to Redpath. "Are your cats ready?"

Redpath nodded. "We can divide the second and third patrols while we walk."

The group of cats was large but it didn't slow their progress in the slightest. It was decided that Snaketail's patrol would consist of Vigilpaw, Rushstalk, Newtdusk, Webtail, and Lynxclaw while Archpelt would lead Patternheart, Rainpaw, Larkwhisker, Mintleaf, and Mudbush. A well balanced pair. Longberry was proud that Snaketail and Archpelt sorted it out so easily. Both cats seemed to know their fellow warriors well regardless of clan.

"It's time to split," Redpath announced when the cats reached the ShadowClan border.

Longberry nodded and turned to Snaketail. "Come after us if we don't come back by sunhigh. Or if you hear yowling."

Snaketail made a noise of confirmation. "You're not waiting for a ShadowClan patrol?"

"I doubt they'd choose today of all days to resume marking their borders."

"Good point. Good luck, Longberry."

"Thank you," Longberry said and waved his tail. Echopelt and Frostbark were on either side of him in a heartbeat. "Hopefully we won't need it."

The patrol stayed quiet as they stepped into the new territory. Longberry's paws were starting to get sore after all the walking but he ignored it and kept pushing forward. He had to be on guard. He was far less familiar with ShadowClan territory than ThunderClan, SkyClan, or even WindClan territory, not to mention the terrain was completely different. ShadowClan warriors thrived in the pines and marsh. Longberry would be lying if he said he didn't find anything other than oaks and undergrowth unsettling.

Echopelt and Frostbark seemed to share his unease while Redpath and Longear were less antsy than the ThunderClan cats. They were far from calm but they were appropriately more relaxed. Longberry tried taking a leaf from their figurative tree and took a deep breath, washing away his nerves. He knew he didn't have anything to fear but the unknown. There was no need to be so high strung.

"Do you smell that?" Echopelt spoke up suddenly. His green eyes darted around the forest, nervousness dancing in their dark depths.

Longear nodded. "I thought I was imagining it."

Longberry didn't know what they were talking about. He stopped in his tracks and took a moment to scent the air. What he found made him frown. "That's not right."

"The ShadowClan scent has faded," Redpath stated before curling his lip in distaste and raising his tail, signaling the patrol to stop. "And now there's this strange scent everywhere."

"What do you think it is?" Longberry asked. He lifted his muzzle before lowering it, unable to figure out how to go about identifying the scent. It was everywhere yet impossible to locate at the same time. Longberry resisted the urge to flatten his ears in annoyance.

"Smells kind of like badger?" Frostbark offered. She stopped walking and lowered her nose to sniff a root. "Or maybe fox. I don't know, the scent is kind of dense and it's definitely an animal but I can't tell what."

"It's twolegplace smell," Echopelt said. He wrinkled his nose. "Twolegs have these bins next to their nests where they throw food scraps to rot. Twolegplace cats steal from them and get this scent on their fur."

"But what are twolegplace cats doing on ShadowClan territory?" Redpath murmured aloud, voicing Longberry's thoughts. He lifted his muzzle to continue scenting. "It's not like ShadowClan to welcome strangers to their territory."

"Then they probably weren't welcome," Longberry concluded and resumed walking. "Come on. We're not far from the camp."

ShadowClan's camp was a dip in the earth surrounded by brambles with a lone path leading down to the base. The brambles blocked the view but the twolegplace scent was stronger here, clinging to everything from the earth to the bark on the surrounding trees. Longberry exchanged a concerned glance with Redpath before making his way down the path. What he saw shocked him beyond words.

The camp was filled with cats but none that Longberry recognized. The camp was torn up, pieces of the dens and nests scattered across the camp but cats were still sitting around the debris like they weren't bothered by the mess at all. They didn't notice him at first but one cat looked up at the sound of his pawsteps and gave a yowl of alarm. Almost immediately, the rest of the cats were on their paws, hissing with fury.

Echopelt, Redpath, and Longberry quickly had their claws out but a murmur from the medicine cats reminded them that they were supposed to come in peace. Longberry forced his claws back into their sheaths and swallowed. He cleared his throat, scaring any nervous rumbles from his throat, and addressed the camp.

"I'm Longberry, deputy of ThunderClan," Longberry spoke, voice carrying through the clearing. "We came here in hopes of finding Beanstar but it seems they're not here. Do you have a leader we can speak to?"

"That would be me," a sharp voice said. Longberry turned to see a ginger she-cat with sharp green eyes padding towards him. Her eyes stood out against her pelt and had a similar color to Echopelt's stunning set but unlike the mediator's warm gaze, the she-cat's stare was icy with hostility. Longberry had to resist the urge to shrink away from her. She looked far from friendly. "What do you want?"

Longberry squared his shoulders and met her gaze, suppressing a shiver. "ShadowClan hasn't been refreshing its border markings and its warriors didn't attend the clans' moonly meeting or make any attempt to get to the island. We were reasonably worried and it seems our worry was well placed. What have you done with ShadowClan?"

The she-cat snorted. "There is no ShadowClan. Only the Others."

And then she lunged to rake her claws across Longberry's face.

* * *

"Quit pacing, Vigilpaw," Snaketail grunted. He was lounging in a patch of sun along the SkyClan-ShadowClan border, the warmth of the sun's rays soothing his tense muscles. It was relaxing and judging by the way the other warriors lazed around him, it was clear his companions agreed. If only Vigilpaw's footsteps weren't so distracting.

"I'm sorry," Vigilpaw said but it didn't sound like he meant it in the slightest. Still, Vigilpaw sat down, whisking his tail behind him. "I'm just worried, you know? Something's wrong."

"What is it?"

"I don't know. Something."

"But what."

"Something. Something is wrong."

"I hate it when you're just vague," Larkwhisker grumbled from where he lay a couple tail lengths from Snaketail and Vigilpaw. He rolled over, looking up at the apprentice. "Aren't you medicine cats supposed to be good at these sorts of things?"

"Something is definitely wrong," Vigilpaw repeated, ignoring Larkwhisker's commentary.

"If you can't put your paw on it, your worry isn't valid," Archpelt grunted without lifting his head. It seemed both patrols were enjoying the unexpected sunning session as much as Snaketail.

"Something's not right," Vigilpaw insisted, lashing his tail.

"Or so you've said," Snaketail sighed and sat up to face the medicine cat apprentice. "Look, Vigilpaw, if-"

"Did you guys hear that?" Patternheart interrupted, sitting up abruptly. His blue eyes locked on the pine forest, shining with worry.

"Hear what?" Webtail asked. He groaned a bit as he sat up and his fur was sticking up in places. He looked far from what a warrior would normally consider presentable but Snaketail had never had any problems with his own fur so he rarely called other cats out for their own fur. Not to mention training a cat with fur as untamable as Wolfpaw's was making him more and more lenient how his views regarding how well a cat was groomed.

"It sounded like Longberry," Patternheart said. He got to his paws, padding a few mouselengths over the border with his ears pricked. "The patrol's in trouble."

"They're too far for you to hear anything," Mintleaf said but she sat up as well.

"You're probably just imagining it," Lynxclaw added.

"Hey, let's hear him out," Rushstalk cooed. He rolled over and lifted his head but didn't rise from his position sprawled out on the forest floor. He blinked tiredly, as if he'd just woken up. Snaketail would've scolded him for falling asleep on a patrol but that would be hypocritical. The entire group had just been sunning. "At least he's got more than the spooky vibes Vigilpaw's going off of."

"They're not 'spooky vibes,'" Vigilpaw grumbled but stayed quiet.

Patternheart's eyes were closed. "I can hear yowling. Can you guys really not hear it? It's so loud."

"I don't hear anything," Archpelt said. "Are you sure it's not the leaves in the breeze?"

"Of course I'm sure it's not the leaves in the breeze!"

"Patternheart's no mousebrain," Snaketail defended. "If he thinks something's wrong, we shouldn't ignore it. Vigilpaw's uneasy too. It would be foolish to ignore our instincts."

Archpelt looked like he wanted to argue but he sighed and gave in. "Fine. We'll move in. How about we split up and move towards the camp from different sides?"

"Good idea," Snaketail told him and waved his tail, drawing his patrol closer. Vigilpaw, Rushstalk, Newtdusk, Webtail, and Lynxclaw were on their paws in a heartbeat. "Come on."

"Be careful," Patternheart called to his clanmates before following Archpelt and the rest of his patrol.

"You too," Snaketail called before crossing the border, not bothering to make sure his patrol did the same. He trusted them to stay close. "Everyone keep your ears pricked. If you hear or smell anything unusual, tell me. Even if it's just a bird, it's better safe than dead."

"Better safe than dead? Isn't that a bit of an extreme take on this?" Webtail questioned.

"We're walking onto another clan's territory," Lynxclaw told him. "We can never be too cautious."

"Words to live by," Vigilpaw said dryly but he didn't sound amused. Closing his mouth, he padded after Snaketail, glancing around nervously.

"Stay close to me, Vigilpaw," Snaketail ordered and Vigilpaw did as he was told without protest. "You still remember your old warrior training?"

"Of course," Vigilpaw told him. "I can fight anything that comes our way. Doesn't mean I won't try to turn tail the second I see another cat though. Fight or flight, am I right or am I right?"

Snaketail purred in amusement. Vigilpaw's instincts lacked reliability but he was more in tune with them than most cats and he always made the right choice. It was a valuable skill to have and Snaketail was glad that he had Vigilpaw at his side. "I expect nothing less from you, Vigilpaw. Keep your eyes on the trees."

Vigilpaw nodded and the patrol began moving deeper into ShadowClan's pine forests. Shadows flickered over them and Snaketail couldn't help but feel comforted by them. Like a TigerClan warrior, he was at home in the darkness. Ironic, considering he enjoyed sunning so much but there was something alluring about slinking through the night that had always captivated him. Snaketail knew Vigilpaw felt the same way. He hadn't been the younger tom's mentor for long before he decided to become a medicine cat but Snaketail recalled how much Vigilpaw had enjoyed their moonlit training sessions. A patrol invading ShadowClan territory wasn't quite the same as that but Snaketail felt an old feeling of thrill curl up in his belly either way. As much as he wanted the clans to remain at peace, all these moons devoid of any conflict made him restless.

As they went deeper into the marsh, a strange, foreign scent filled Snaketail's nose that made him want to hurl. He was never fond of the dampness found in the bog but this wasn't something natural or native to ShadowClan's lands. It was some kind of animal but Snaketail didn't know what it was. The patrol exchanged a few words about it but no one knew what it was and it only got stronger when they neared ShadowClan's camp.

"Do you hear that?" Vigilpaw asked suddenly, jumping as if something startled him. Snaketail was about to berate him but the noise hit his ears a heartbeat later. He stopped in his tracks and pricked his ears, trying to identify the sound but it was too far.

"It sounds like… yowling," Newtdusk spoke. "And hissing?"

"Some cat's fighting," Snaketail realized and broke into a run. "Patternheart was right. Longberry's patrol is in danger!"

The patrol sprinted after him, staying close with Vigilpaw flanking Snaketail. Snaketail spared him a glance for a couple heartbeats and saw fear shining in his violet eyes but he saw something else too. Something only Vigilpaw had. The tom was easily scared but he fought that fear like no cat had ever seen. It seemed that Snaketail's former apprentice hadn't lost that after so many moons in the medicine den.

The strange scent and the howls of battle only grew stronger and louder as the patrol pressed forward. Snaketail saw the other patrol rushing forward almost an instant after Snaketail spotted the brambles that protected ShadowClan's camp. Snaketail's eyes met Archpelt's for a heartbeat before both cats nodded and pushed into the camp. The sight Snaketail was met with made him want to vomit more than the scent that sat in the air.

There were dozens of cats in the camp, probably twice or three times as many as clans normally had, and Snaketail recognized none of them. There wasn't a single ShadowClan pelt among the multitude of others within the camp. Snaketail didn't know what to think of that but he didn't have the time to think about it. Most of the strange cats were sitting around the edges of the camp, yowling bloodthirsty words of encouragement to a number of cats in the middle. Among the cats in the pit was Longberry.

The tom's light grey pelt was stained with blood but he was still on his paws, glaring at a ginger she-cat defiantly. Snaketail could see a black and white tom locked in battle with Redpath a few foxlengths away and Echopelt grappling with an orange tom nearby. He had no idea where the medicine cats were but he wasn't going to waste time looking for them. Not when Longberry needed help.

The cats at the edges suddenly noticed the newcomers and hissed with fury that Snaketail couldn't hope to match. Snaketail knew that a long battle lay ahead of them that the trio of patrols had no hope of winning with these numbers against them but Snaketail would throw himself into the lake and drown himself before he went down without a fight. Forcing his way past the first few cats running at him, he threw himself into the middle of the camp and made a beeline for his deputy.

"Vigilpaw! Look for Longear and Frostbark! Some cat help Echopelt and Redpath!" Snaketail ordered before launching himself at the tabby pinning Longberry. She was a big cat and both Longberry and Snaketail were on the smaller side but Snaketail wasn't thinking about that in the moment. His paws skimmed the earth with each stride, eyes locked on his target like those of a starving mother-wolf chasing a rabbit. In the time it took Snaketail to cross the camp, the she-cat got Longberry under her and was pushing him into the ground, claws buried deep into his shoulders.

Archpelt was barking orders to the remaining cats but Snaketail couldn't hear them over his own blood curdling battlecry. He slammed into the she-cat's back, knocking her cleanly off Longberry and sending both of them tumbling to the ground. He hissed in her face and scored his claws against her newly exposed chest before trying to force his weight down on her shoulders. Snaketail knew he wasn't heavy enough to pin her but if he got her paws down…

Nope. Not happening. The she-cat exploded upward and shoved the smaller tom off him, biting his neck on the process. Snaketail snarled and wrapped his paws around her head, trying to force it away from him. They grappled for a few heartbeats, neither giving in a mouselength.

Out of the corner of his eye, Snaketail saw Patternheart rushing to aid Echopelt and Mudbush of SkyClan run to help his clan's deputy. Both were strong warriors and Snaketail was certain they'd have no trouble defeating their foes, assuming none of the cats hanging around the edges of the camp jumped into help.

But he couldn't focus on that now. Longberry was tearing the tabby off of him and a chunk of Snaketail's fur went with her. Snaketail hissed in pain but was grateful to finally be free of her grip. Longberry threw her harshly, putting some distance between both parties, and bared his teeth.

"Enough of this, Lizard," Longberry growled. "My warriors have arrived. This battle will do no more than spill unnecessary blood. Let's end this."

"We will but not before my cats kill a couple of your precious clanmates." Lizard spat out a mouthful of dark grey fur. Snaketail tried not to wince at the sight of it. He could feel blood oozing down his neck but he hadn't realized that Lizard's hold on him had been so strong. The she-cat's green eyes flickered between the two of them but she didn't look intimidated in the slightest. In fact, she looked excited. The thrill of battle glowed in her eyes. "My cats outnumber yours. There is no way you can win."

Lizard didn't give either tom a chance to reply and she rushed forward, claws unsheathed. Snaketail pressed himself down close to the ground and dodged, weaving around her to attack from the side. Longberry wasn't quick enough and Lizard's sights were set on him but Snaketail wasn't going to let her lay another claw on him if he could help it. He gave a throaty growl and shot up to drag his claws down Lizard's flank, doing his best to dig them into her flesh as deeply as possible without getting stuck. Lizard yowled and Longberry took the opportunity to box her ears and land a few blows on her face.

With Lizard distracted, Snaketail took the chance to jump on her back so he could slash her flank with his hind paws while simultaneously scraping at her traps and biting down on her ears. Lizard yowled at the sudden flurry of attacks and bucked, trying to shake Snaketail off and leaving herself open to Longberry's assault.

After a few heartbeats of clinging on, Snaketail realized that Lizard wasn't yowling in rage or agony. She sounded… He didn't know exactly what but she was far from angry. She seemed to be enjoying this.

"Oh! You're a feisty one aren't you!" Lizard exclaimed before throwing Snaketail off her back. Snaketail landed on the earth with a grunt and a heavy thud that made his shoulder throb. Longberry tried to draw her focus again but Lizard was too much for him. She reared up and furiously swiped at his face and ears before turning and pushing him away with a kick. It only took a few moments and her attention was back on Snaketail by the time he found his bearings. He tried to get back to his paws but Lizard put a paw on his shoulder, pushing him back down. She bared her teeth, thrusting her muzzle into his face. "You fight dirty. I like that. Too bad you're a clan cat. Oh well. You'll be in the stars soon enough."

Snaketail tried to scramble away but Lizard's claws found his tail and he hissed in pain. "Back off, fox dung."

"Ooh. Your tongue is almost as sharp as your claws," Lizard purred. Snaketail narrowed his eyes and hissed. He was going to make her regret toying with a ThunderClan warrior. He reached out with one paw and flicked it against the ground, sending dirt into his foe's eyes. Lizard stumbled back and hissed as she was sprayed with earth. Claws left his shoulder and tail and Snaketail could stand again. He knew he should take advantage of Lizard's momentary vulnerability and get in a few more hits but he turned away from her and ran to his friend's side.

"Are you okay?" Snaketail asked, finally able to survey the damages on Longberry's pelt. He was dotted with several bleeding wounds but to Snaketail's relief, none of them looked too permanent. He had a few claw marks that narrowly missed his eyes and his chest was heaving but he otherwise looked better than Snaketail could've hoped considering how long he'd been fighting.

"I'm fine," Longberry said. He spat on the ground, cherry red blood splattering onto the earth. He was breathing hard and he looked like he just wanted to lie down and take a nap but he lifted his head and turned to Snaketail without his usual bravado. Snaketail saw a rare glint of uncertainty in his eyes. "I don't think we can win this."

"Me neither," Snaketail told him, turning back to Lizard who was pawing at her eyes and trying to blink the sand out of them. "If we die, it was an honor fighting by your side. If I die and you make it out, find a good mentor for Wolfpaw and let Patternheart know I don't hate his puns as much as I pretend. Oh, tell Vigilpaw that he's a little furball but he's my little furball."

Longberry let out a broken purr. "Will do. Shall we?"

Snaketail responded with a yowl and threw himself at Lizard. She still had dirt in her eyes but she seemed prepared for the attack and blocked his blow. She reared up onto her hind paws, towering over him, and crashed down on him. Snaketail's vision was blocked by a ginger belly but he didn't let that stop him. Blood was roaring in his ears and vicious fighting spirit raged through his body. He wasn't going down anytime soon.

He struggled free from Lizard's grip as Longberry reared up to match Lizard's height. The two clashed, swiping at each other's faces and blowing each other's blows with their forepaws. Snaketail ducked his head and headbutted Lizard, ramming his head into her soft underbelly and knocking her off her hindpaws. She twisted as she fell, managing to catch herself but she couldn't move fast enough to avoid getting landed on by Longberry. Snaketail and Longberry switched their earlier roles. Longberry was on Lizard's back, backwards but still holding on, while Snaketail was slashing furiously at her face.

Lizard turned her head with perfect timing to avoid the worst of it. She threw all her weight to one side, knocking Longberry off faster than she had when Snaketail was on her back and kicked him hard before attacking Snaketail aggressively with both forepaws. Snaketail didn't have time to raise his own paws to block the assault and was forced back, turning his head as sharp bolts of pain littered themselves across his face. He squeezed his eyes shut and not a heartbeat later he felt a loose claw rake itself over his eyelid. His breaths were short and his mind wasn't fully processing what was happening to him but if it was, he would've let out a breath of relief. He was lucky he wasn't blinded by that last hit. He'd probably end up with scars on one side of his face but at least he wasn't down for the count quite yet.

Snaketail was on the ground, gasping, by the time that the onslaught ended. He ducked his head, expecting to be struck again, but the final blow never came. He risked opening his uninjured eye and saw Lizard standing over him, a satisfied look on her face. Snaketail, despite all the fear nestled around his heart, scowled. "What? Finish it!"

"Clearly you haven't seen much battle if you think it takes that little to kill a cat," Lizard snorted. "No, I think I'll keep out around a bit longer."

Snaketail's chest was rising and falling rapidly. Each breath was a struggle. He wasn't sure if it was from injury or just plain exhaustion. He opened his mouth to question Lizard's words when a yowl cut through the camp and all the sounds of battle died.

Snaketail's heart nearly stopped when he realized who had yowled. Panic seized him for a heartbeat and he jumped to his paws, eyes frantically searching the masses of cats for Vigilpaw. In the back of his mind, he knew that the yowl wasn't one of pain so his former apprentice was probably fine but he wasn't exactly thinking clearly right now. All he knew was that Vigilpaw needed help.

His eyes found the grey tom by what had once been ShadowClan's elder's den. He was standing and seemingly fine, bearing no signs of injury or unsteadiness. Confusion flooded Snaktail's mind, unable to identify what was wrong. Then he saw it.

Tufts of white fur were littered on the ground. Damp red stains made it almost unrecognizable. It took longer than it should have for Snaketail to figure out who the pelt belonged to. "Frostbark!"

If he could, Snaketail would have run across the clearing to check on her but he couldn't barge past Lizard and judging by Vigilpaw's grief stricken yowl, it was too late. Snaketail could do nothing more than blink in shock and try to keep the grief welling up in his throat from spilling out.

The cats in the camp were quiet now that the fighting had stopped. A layer of numbness washed over the cats but it could've just been Snaketail projecting his own feelings. His mind whirled and his eyes were wide and lost. Stumbling, he took a step back and looked around. He regretted it almost immediately.

While he had been among the cats in the middle of the pit, his clanmates and allies were fighting the bystanders and it seemed those cats were just as vicious as the three in the middle. Echopelt, Snaketail, Redpath, Mudbush, Longberry, and Patternheart were all battered, bleeding, bruised, and breathing hard from their fights in the heart of the camp but their clanmates looked worse. Rushstalk had a nasty gash on his flank and both ears were bleeding heavily, Lynxclaw's tail was missing several patches of fur and blood stained her muzzle, Rainpaw was barely standing, and Vigilpaw's paws were coated in blood and he had claw marks on his face but that wasn't even the worst of it.

Four bodies were scattered across the clearing. Snaketail wanted to close his eyes and pretend he never saw them but he owed it to his companions to stay strong and refuse to turn away. Larkwhisker, Mintleaf, Newtdusk, and Webtail lay as still as stone on the damp, blood stained earth. The cats standing over them shuffled back, flinching at the shellshocked aura that always came with the sudden decline of battle.

Snaketail found it in him to pad forward. Lizard didn't stop him, letting him go to his nearest fallen clanmate's side. It was Larkwhisker. Snaketail closed his eyes and touched his fur with one paw hesitantly. He didn't stir. Snaketail put a bit more energy into the motion. Larkwhisker's body jostled but he didn't open his eyes or curl away.

Snaketail squeezed his eyes shut and buried muzzle into the tom's dark fur. A choked sob escaped his lips and he sank into the ground, shaking. Normally, he wouldn't allow himself to show this kind of weakness around other cats, clanmates or otherwise, but he didn't care about keeping up his usual facade right now. Three of his clanmates plus two of his friends were dead and he couldn't do anything but give into his emotions.

Snaketail felt a tail tip on his shoulder. He didn't need to look up to see it was Longberry but he did anyway. Like many things he did today, he regretted it. He'd never seen such an expression on the stoic deputy's face.

"He had so much to live for," Longberry whispered and Snaketail felt a thousand times worse. He looked back at Larkwhsiper with a jerky motion and did nothing as guilt bubbled up from his belly. Larkwhisker's kits were coming soon. How could Snaketail forget? He remembered how excited Larkwhisker was when he told him that his mate, Dottail, was finally expecting kits. He'd been looking forward to being a father for so long and now he wouldn't have the chance to see his kits be born or watch them grow up.

Snaketail numbly got to his paws and glanced across the clearing. Mintleaf's white fur looked so wrong with pawfuls of blood splattered across it. Snaketail felt his throat close up. He remembered when he'd found out he was going to be training Vigilpaw and the former queen padded up to him and told him to be the best mentor her son could hope for in the most intimidating tone Snaketail ever heard. He was a young warrior at the time and Snaketail had been so surprised that he'd been able to do little more than stutter and nod. Mintleaf's boldness never failed to amaze him and now he was never going to hear her chastise him like a kit until he too joined StarClan.

It was ironic that she'd died on ShadowClan territory. Fondly, he remembered that Mintleaf enjoyed eating frogs. Strange for a ThunderClan cat but Mintleaf didn't care. Just last moon, Snaketail had seen a frog by the river that flowed through ThunderClan territory while on a hunting patrol. He'd pointed it out to Mintleaf's mate Leafwillow and the tom had fallen into the river trying to catch it for her. Snaketail and Leafwillow had a good laugh out of that one. Would he ever hear Leafwillow laugh now that his love was gone? Snaketail wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.

His gaze shifted back to Frostbark. Vigilpaw was so occupied with sobbing into his mentor's shoulder that Snaketail doubted that he'd even seen that his mother had died as well. Snaketail wanted nothing more than to steel himself and provide Vigilpaw with a shoulder to lean on but he was too numb to collect his thoughts enough to even have a hope of doing so. All he could do was stare at Frostbark's limp form and think about how much Vinestar would miss her. He could picture his leader's broken expression when he learned that his longtime friend had died. Snaketail didn't know if he could bear seeing his leader looking so devastated.

Snaketail's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a cat clearing their throat. "Well, I think you've learned your lesson, now haven't you?"

Grief was pushed aside as rage erupted from his belly and rose into his throat. Snaketail whipped around with a new fervor, yellow eyes locking with Lizard's green ones. A low growl rumbled in his chest, a new fire sparking to life deep inside him.

"Lesson? You call the deaths of my clanmates a lesson?" he shouted, voice breaking. Longberry's tail found its way back to his shoulder and the deputy murmured Snaketail's name in his ear but his friend's efforts did little to nothing to calm him down. "We came here in peace and you killed them!"

"We did," Lizard said without a care in the world. "What's your point?"

Snaketail snarled and lunged but Longberry caught him by the scruff and pulled him back before he could make it more than a few mouselengths forward. "The fighting's stopped. Be calm or we'll just end up fighting again."

"I don't care," Snaketail hissed back. "Let me go."

Longberry looked at him sternly. "Do you want more cats to die? Who would be next? Redpath? Mudbush? Maybe me or Rushstalk? Or perhaps Patternheart? What about Vigilpaw? Do you want to carry the responsibility of his death?"

Snaketail shut his mouth. No. No, he didn't. He didn't want that. He wanted anything but that.

Lizard purred. "That's what I thought. Well, I've got to say you warriors are good fighters but not good enough. I'll let you leave and run off back to your clans to report to your little leaders what happened here today. I look forward to not seeing you in the future."

"We still don't know who you are," Echopelt spoke up. He sounded as tired as he looked. Echopelt was no warrior and he'd been fighting as long as Longberry and Redpath. A new respect for the mediator wormed its way into Snaketail's heart. He never knew he could fight as well as he could talk. "What should we tell them?"

"You want a message?" Lizard questioned. She sat down and snorted. "That's not my style. I'm not going to talk to some go-between."

"Then come to next moon's Gathering," Longberry pleaded. Snaketail looked at him in shock. He was doing this now? After their clanmates just died?

Lizard looked at him thoughtfully. Snaketail suddenly realized she was the leader here. He didn't know how he hadn't noticed that before. She glanced over to the black and white tom who had been fighting Redpath. "Cat, what do you think?"

Cat? What kind of name was that? If Snaketail was feeling like his usual snarky self, he would have a laugh and a half at that one. Now wasn't the time though so he kept his mouth shut.

"It wouldn't hurt," the cat called Cat said with a shrug. "It would let the other groups around the lake know who we are."

Lizard hummed. "Orange?"

"I agree," the cat who had been fighting Echopelt and Patternheart answered. His face was leaking blood but he grinned in spite of it, flashing his sharp, white fangs. "It'd be a drag to explain everything to these ones. Let's go straight to the top."

Lizard seemed satisfied. "Very well, clan cats. We'll come to your little meeting next moon. Now get off my territory before I change my mind."

Snaketail nodded and reached down to grab Larkwhisker's scruff. His body hadn't begun hardening yet so he thought he might be able to get him out of the camp before he had to shift his body onto his and Longberry's shoulders. Or at least he would have had the chance to try to if he wasn't so rudely interrupted.

"What do you think you're doing?" Cat demanded.

"Um, taking my clanmate's body?" Snaketail swallowed at the final word. It hurt to say it.

"I don't think so."

"What?"

"You heard him," Orange spoke up. He shook out his pelt and sat down, looking at Snaketail with challenge in his gaze. "Leave them."

Snaketail opened his mouth to argue but Longberry shouldered him roughly and hissed in his ear. "I don't like this any more than you do but we've got to get out of here."

As much as he wanted to disagree, Snaketail found himself nodding. Longberry was right. The longer they stayed here, the less likely these cats were going to let them leave. Not to mention that carrying bodies out would severely slow them down. They needed to leave as quickly as possible.

Snaketail shot one last regretful look at Larkwhisker and padded across the camp to Vigilpaw's side. "Come on. We're leaving."

"I can't leave her," Vigilpaw whispered, eyes wide and locked on Frostbark's body. "She was my mentor."

"I know," Snaketail said softly, "but she wouldn't want you to die because you couldn't leave her. Come on, Vigilpaw. We need to get away from this place."

Numbly, Vigilpaw nodded and let Snaketail lead him away. Snaketail ducked his head, avoiding any of the twolegplace cats' gazes, and drew his tail around himself and Vigilpaw. Without so much as a breath from any cat, the clan cats padded out of the camp and back into the pine forest.


	6. Parallel Pawsteps in the Light and Dark

Longberry was dragging his paws, leaving long blood stains on the earth with each step, by the time the remains of the patrol reached the SkyClan camp. His thoughts were hazy and he barely noticed the gasps and surprised yowls that sounded when they arrived. The only thing he could think about was the fact that the returning patrol was smaller than it had been when it left.

Longberry didn't resist when a cat led him to a nest. It wasn't a medicine cat nor was the nest in the medicine den but he didn't care. Or maybe it was. He thought he could smell herbs over the scent of blood. He wasn't sure. He was too tired to focus on anything and too many emotions clouded his mind to think clearly. Longberry hated emotions. Well, hate was a strong word. He found them annoying and bothersome. Emotions made a cat act foolishly and get hurt in ways that no medicine cat could heal. Not to mention he had a hard time understanding them, whether they be his own or his clanmates'. It was frustrating.

He wasn't frustrated right now though. All he could feel was the searing pain of claws on his heart, as if the blows that killed his clanmates and allies had hit him instead. His own wounds throbbed but he knew the pain he was feeling wasn't coming from his pelt. It was raw, twisted emotion. It felt like a massive hole had appeared and swallowed him whole, guilt and disappointment lining the edges. He hated feeling this way. It would be so much easier if he was just… emotionless. Unfeeling. Longberry wasn't a very emotional cat but he knew plenty of the cats on his patrol were. How could any of them stand it?

His silent question was answered when a yellow form crashed next to him. Patternheart let out a long sigh and rested his head on Longberry's shoulder. Despite his exhaustion, Longberry's tail lifted itself and rested itself on Patternheart's flank in a comforting gesture. Even if Patternheart was too tired and torn apart to offer his usual cheerful words of support, his presence alone was comforting. Briefly, Longberry wondered why he didn't spend more time with Patternheart. They were friends and Longberry would probably consider Patternheart his closest friend, maybe closer than even Snaketail. He could be a bit much to deal with but Longberry valued his friendship nonetheless. He craned his neck to rest on Patternheart's paw and closed his eyes. This was nice.

Faintly, he could hear Snaketail whispering to Vigilpaw a tail length or two away. Vigilpaw was undoubtedly feeling the worst. Afterall, he had just lost his mentor and his mother. The young tom was already constantly plagued by general negativity and reclusiveness. Today's battles must have done wonders for his anxiety and not in a good way.

Longberry felt the lull of sleep tugging him in when the sound of his name snapped him out of it. He lifted his head and blinked a few times before recognizing the blurry form of Terrainstar standing over him. Why was his vision so blurry? That wasn't right. Either way, he was facing a clan leader. Longberry tried to get to his paws but his paws couldn't find a grip on the flat earth beneath them. Patternheart put a paw over his, wordlessly telling him to stay still.

He couldn't ignore Terrainstar though. It took every morsel of energy he had in his bones to lift his head and look up at the SkyClan leader. Longberry tried his best to make an interested, apologetic or even friendly expression but his face muscles were too tired and he just ended up blinking blankly at the older tom.

"Longberry," Terrainstar said with uncharacteristic gentleness, "what happened?"

"ShadowClan is gone," Longberry rasped. He tried to clear his throat and ended up breaking into a coughing fit. Panic gripped him like icy claws for a few heartbeats before he realized that it was just from lingering dryness in his throat, not injury. Still, it was worrying. He didn't know how injured he was. Patternheart was pretty beat up and Longberry had been fighting far longer than he had. Echopelt, Longberry, and Redpath undoubtedly carried a number of serious injuries each. If-

"What do you mean?" Terrainstar asked, interrupting his thoughts. Longberry had almost forgotten he was there. For StarClan's sake, he must be tired if he let his own thoughts were distracting him so much.

"There was no sign of them in their camp," Longberry explained. "There were these cats there- they called themselves the Others- who had taken it over. They attacked us. They… They killed Frostbark, Larkwhisker, Mintleaf, Newtdusk, and Webtail. We didn't stand a chance against them."

Terrainstar's eyes widened and he was quiet for a few moments. Longberry looked away, allowing the leader a few moments to himself before he regained his composure. "Where…?"

"They didn't let us take their bodies," Longberry responded, assuming that was what Terrainstar was trying to ask. "Their leader, Lizard, said that they would come in ShadowClan's place to the next Gathering."

Terrainstar nodded absently. "That's… I'd say that's good but there's no good in this situation, is there?"

Longberry shook his head. "No. No there isn't."

Terrainstar sighed and he suddenly seemed seasons older than he was. "Get some rest, Longberry. Rainpaw is mostly uninjured. She's treating Longear right now but she'll come by soon."

"What about-" Longberry cut off. He was about to ask about Frostbark. He shook his head and pushed away the thought. "What about Vigilpaw?"

"He's not doing well. He's injured but even if he wasn't, he's too shaken to treat anyone. I think he's in shock," Terrainstar told him. "I've sent some warriors to get the medicine cats from WindClan and RiverClan. They can help. Don't worry, Longberry. We won't lose anymore cats today."

"I trust that you'll make sure of that," Longberry murmured and closed his eyes, sinking into heavy, dreamless sleep.

* * *

It was dark when he closed his eyes but somehow it just got darker. He didn't understand how. He could see but the world was darker than it was when his eyes were shut. The earth below his paws was a barren brown and the trees that surrounded him were so dark they looked like silhouettes. He was alone in the forest. The cat was no stranger to loneliness but even the night sky above was starless, making him feel more alone than ever.

"Snaketail."

The cat jumped and whirled around before relaxing at the sight of the other cat. "Oh. It's just you."

The two cats looked remarkably similar, save the fact the faint markings on their pelts were different. One was a dark grey with a few lighter greys mixed in as well as a few yellow markings while the other cat was black and orange but both toms had piercing yellow eyes that met each other with unparalleled defiance. The main trait, however, that distinguished them was their pelts but not the colors of their fur. The darker tom's pelt was so faded that a cat could almost see right through him.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this wonderful visit from my warrior ancestors?" Snaketail asked sarcastically, turning around to pace aimlessly around the clearing in the forest of shadowy trees. "You know how much I love dreaming my way to this wonderful corner of StarClan."

"We don't use that word here," Ripplestar said, curling his lip. He ducked his head in, almost aggressively, but Snaketail didn't flinch.

"Oh, I know," Snaketail said carelessly, looking at him out of the corner of his eye. He knew he should be more respectful to his ancestors but Ripplestar bore no stars in his pelt and Snaketail always got a kick out of trying to see how far he could push him. "I just wanted to make myself clear. Any chance this dream is the one where you'll tell me you'll leave me alone?"

"Far from it," Ripplestar purred, eyes becoming alight with crude joy. "Quite the opposite really. I'm here to tell you that we're ready to step up your role in our plan."

"What role? What plan? I thought I made it very clear I don't want anything to do with whatever it is you and your friends are up to," Snaketail said, turning so he was facing the old leader once again.

"Oh, I know. You don't get much of a choice. Silverpelt's had a bit of an interest in some clan cats lately so it's only natural that we scoop up the leftovers," Ripplestar said. Snaketail didn't even begin to understand his words so he just kept his mouth shut, hoping the spirit would explain himself without any prompting on his end. "You don't have to do anything just yet, my little snake. Everything is already in motion. You and the other leftover piece of prey just have to fester at the bottom of the fresh-kill pile until it's time to do your part and poison your clanmates."

"What?" Snaketail blinked. "You're visiting another cat?"

"Jealous, are we?"

"Of course not. I just don't like the idea of you getting your claws on another cat."

"Oh, it's not me who's snatching up the other leftover," Ripplestar said. He took a few steps towards the other warrior. "Don't worry about it, Snaketail. Just focus on training your precious little apprentice for now."

"Wolfpaw?" Snaketail reeled back and glared, lip peeling back to flash his fangs. "You keep your paws off him!"

"Too late for that," Ripplestar said, putting his muzzle in his face. "You two may not be enough for StarClan but Silverpelt sees your potential and so do we. Powers or not, you're more than enough for the Dark Forest."

"What? Powers? The Dark Forest? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, nothing," Ripplestar tutted. "You just remember what I told you. Teach young Wolfpaw everything you learned from the Dark Forest and maybe we can put off bringing him here a few more moons."

"I'm not teaching him anything that comes from you!" Snaketail spat, taking a few more steps away from the darker tom. "He's going to be a great warrior! He's nothing like me. He doesn't need to steal moves from dreams and lie to his clanmates to become strong."

"Your his mentor," Ripplestar said, moving forward. "You're supposed to teach him everything you know. Everything you know you learned from me."

"No," Snaketail growled, shuffling further back. "I'm a strong, respected ThunderClan warrior because I worked hard. I don't care what you say. Just because you visited me in my dreams while I was an apprentice doesn't mean that I learned how to fight because of you. I taught myself to fight and I made myself a strong warrior. I did it all on my own. All you did was scare me into staying awake longer than I should have."

"Oh, that's a lie," Ripplestar snorted and kept pressing forward. "I'll admit, you are good in your own right but you learned from us before you learned from yourself. And we can make you better. Snaketail, we can give you what you need to make ThunderClan greater than it ever has before. Even greater than Firestar's reign."

"Those are just nursery stories," Snaketail growled. He took another step back only for his hindpaw to meet open air. He glanced over his shoulder and found that he had backed out of the clearing and was now standing at the edge of a cliff. He didn't let it faze him though. Steeling himself, he turned back to face Ripplestar. "ThunderClan is already great."

Ripplestar's face turned angry and sour. "Fine. Be that way. But I know you'll seize the opportunity when it comes."

Ripplestar turned as if he was going to pad away but he suddenly whirled around and reared up, raking his claws across Snaketail's face. The grey and yellow tom let out a yowl of surprise as he was forced backwards, tumbling into the void below.

* * *

Vigilpaw stumbled as he padded through the woodland, hardly aware of the trees around him. If not for Snaketail gently nudging him in the right direction, he knew he would have crashed into a tree right now. His usual hardened senses were not serving him well at the moment. Everything around him seemed… hazy. Like he was trapped underwater, trying to swim upward to the surface, but his tail was trapped under a rock on the bottom, keeping him from the mouthfuls of air he longed for.

"We're almost home," Snaketail murmured in his ear as he shoulder Vigilpaw, bumping him away from a root that his paws were ready to trip on. Vigilpaw hummed acknowledgement and let himself be led after the others.

Both Longberry and Echopelt were limping heavily, barely able to walk. They were the most injured of the bunch and they probably shouldn't have been up let alone walking so soon after the fight in the first place but Vigilpaw hadn't found it in him to protest when Longberry insisted upon leaving first thing after the sun rose. In the back of his mind, a quiet voice told him that he was a terrible medicine cat for bumbling around at the back of the patrol instead of keeping an eye on the wounded but the numb fog in his mind quieted the voice. As much as Vigilpaw hated listening to it tell him how terrible he was, it was that voice always telling him that something was wrong. It made his instincts sharp enough to be a cat respected by warriors like Snaketail and Longberry and it was what drove his paws to the right pile of herbs when he was treating a clanmate. He would give anything for this funk to be lifted enough to listen to it again.

The voice's usual hisses were more like deafened murmurs now. It's words weren't sharp. It was muted but still present. Occasionally, it's usual jabs would slip through but for the most part it was just telling him to put one paw in front of the other. He was almost home. Everything would be fine when he got home.

Vigilpaw suddenly realized it wasn't the voice in the back of his mind telling him that. It was Snaketail whispering to him, or maybe himself. Vigilpaw flattened his ears. Lies. Snaketail could lie better than any cat, lure them into a false sense of security impossible to break out of. Vigilpaw could spot Snaketail's lies from a foxlength away but deceit and denial could be comforting at times. Right now should not be one of those times. His clanmates' well being rested on his shoulders and his alone.

Vigilpaw's heart throbbed when he realized that when he went into his den tonight, he'd be alone. Never again would he hear his mentor's soft snores or wake up to Frostbark telling him they were low on borage or dock. Vigilpaw wasn't afraid of the dark but the idea of being alone in his den with nothing but the spiders and moonlight to comfort him filled him with fear.

"We're almost home," Snaketail murmured again. "Everything's going to be fine. We're almost home."

Vigilpaw wanted to hiss at him. He wanted to snap that everything was just going to get so much worse. Snaketail adored their leader. Would he be able to handle telling him that his beloved medicine cat would never share tongues with him again? Would Vigilpaw be able to tell his littermates and father that his mother died and he was unable to save her? What about Dottail? Vigilpaw knew she was a strong cat but she loved Larkwhisker with all of her heart. Could she bear raising their kits alone?

But Vigilpaw kept his mouth shut. Snaketail found solace in denial and Vigilpaw could understand that. He wasn't going to break the illusion for his friend even though reality would shatter it soon enough. Snaketail wouldn't be hurt. No, the tom was aware each and every time he lied to himself. He'd let him have these last few moments of pretending he didn't have to face Vinestar. Every cat knew the news that would crush him.

When the patrol stepped into camp, they were immediately swarmed by their clanmates, endless questions filling Vigilpaw's ears. His breath hitched as he froze, ducking his head to shy away. Snaketail stepped in front of them and guided him past them, shielding him from the others. Vigilpaw was grateful his friend knew him well enough to know he couldn't handle facing his clanmates right now.

He lifted his head briefly and saw that Longberry looked as overwhelmed as he did. Molebriar and Bramblethorn were on either side of him, assaulting him with questions about his injuries, and more cats looked like they were going to join.

Vigilpaw lifted his chin and squared his shoulders. "Snaketail…"

"Be bold, tiger," Snaketail whispered, the hint of a smile on his voice. Vigilpaw took a few steps forward, leaving Snaketail's side, and cleared his throat loudly.

"Hey!" he barked. Surprisingly, his voice didn't waver. He was privately proud of himself. "Don't crowd him. Don't crowd anyone. Let him breathe."

The pair of warriors turned at the sound of his voice and ducked their heads apologetically. "Right. Sorry, Vigilpaw."

Longberry mouthed a thank you to the younger tom and Vigilpaw offered a half-hearted smile in return. He waved his tail, drawing the patrol closer. Snaketail, Rushstalk, Patternheart, Echopelt, Longberry, and Vigilpaw were soon standing around the base of the highrock, their clanmates just a few taillengths away. Vigilpaw wished they'd give them some space and leave them alone but couldn't be mad at them. Their clanmates had showed up at camp covered in dried blood and injuries. They had every right to be curious. And worried.

Vigilpaw saw his sister Spiderwatcher trying to catch his eye. Vigilpaw just shook his head, letting her know now was not the time. They needed to talk to Vinestar.

Vinestar noticed the commotion and was out of his den by the time the remains of the patrol had reached the high rock. His steps had their usual vigor as he headed towards them but his amber eyes were shining with worry. "What happened?"

"We were attacked," Longberry rasped, voice breaking. Snaketail took a step forward, putting a tail tip on his shoulder, and took over.

"The meetup with SkyClan went as planned. Longberry lead the first patrol with Redpath, Echopelt, Longear, and Frostbark. They made it to the ShadowClan camp but Beanstar wasn't there nor were there any ShadowClan cats," Snaketail explained. His gaze was shaky, like it was hard to keep his eyes on his leader, but he swallowed and kept his head held high. "The cats there called themselves the Others. Their leader, Lizard, wasn't interested in talking and attacked. It was a while before the secondary patrols realized anything was wrong."

"How did you?" Echopelt spoke up. Every cat looked to him and the spotted tom looked a bit embarrassed but he didn't lick his fur or turn away. "I know it's not important but I've just been wondering."

"Vigilpaw was uneasy and Patternheart said he heard yowling. It wasn't much to go off of but we weren't taking any chances," Snaketail informed him before continuing. "Archpelt and my patrols explored the territory a bit then closed in on the camp. When we got there, three cats were fighting Echopelt, Longberry, and Redpath in the middle of the camp while the rest watched from the edges. They… weren't looking the best when we arrived. Mudbush, Patternheart, and I ran in and helped them. The rest of the patrol fought the other cats."

"Where are the others?" Vinestar asked. He glanced around as if he expected Larkwhisker, Mintleaf, and Frostbark to be standing among their clanmates. Vigilpaw felt his heart squeeze painfully. He looked away, not wanting to see the despair that he knew was about to appear on Vinestar's face.

Vigilpaw heard paws scuffle as if Longberry was going to say something. He leaned against the taller tom, letting him know to stay quiet. He may be deputy but it had to be Snaketail who told their leader the news. Vigilpaw didn't know why, it just felt right.

"They… They were killed," Snaketail spoke. The words didn't come out choked. They came out as even and emotionless as Longberry's words often did. Vigilpaw could still tell Snaketail was breaking apart inside. Even if his voice was flat, it carried his pain.

"Frostbark was dead before we got there," Rushstalk spoke up quietly. "I was with Mintleaf when she went down. These cats were brutal. I tried to get to her but there were too many cats. They just kept pushing me away. I didn't see what happened to Larkwhisker but I think he was alone."

A wail broke through the camp and Vigilpaw could do nothing more than lower his head even more. It was Dottail, he was sure it was. Vigilpaw flattened his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the world. He didn't want to see her grieve.

His efforts did little to aid him. In his mind, all he could see was his father Leafwillow trying to comfort his littermates Antpatch and Spiderwatcher despite his own pain. Part of him felt guilty for avoiding them. For standing so far away from them or maybe for not being the one to tell them the news. He didn't know. But guilt was not regret. An even bigger part of him just wanted to hide until the sun went away.

Snaketail was talking again but Vigilpaw wasn't listening. He didn't want to listen. The conversation ended and the clan began dispersing. Vigilpaw finally found it in him to look up. When he did, he just wanted to look down again. Vinestar looked like some cat had just ripped his heart out.

Vigilpaw couldn't help but feel like that cat was him. He knew it wasn't justified but that dark little voice in the back of his mind just kept screaming it.

Vigilpaw staggered as an explosion of pain and shock struck him. He nearly fell over, not expecting the fresh wave of emotion. But he had a job to do. It was his duty to his leader.

"Do you need some thyme?" he asked, watching Vinestar carefully.

The mottled brown tom shook his head slowly. "Don't waste your worry for me. Get some rest, Vigilpaw."

"But if you're in shock…" Vigilpaw stumbled over his words. "I don't have time to rest. Longberry and Echopelt still need a lot of treatment and I think Rushstalk's flank started bleeding again. I need to get some cobwebs and-"

"Vigilpaw."

"- make some dressings. Oh, Dottail probably needs some thyme too. She just lost her mate. And-"

"Vigilpaw."

"- I need to talk to my father. Why didn't I save her? I was right there. I watched those cats tear Mintleaf away from Rushstalk but I froze. I was with Frostbark and I froze. I might've been able to-"

"Vigilpaw." This time it was a different voice but Vigilpaw's were spiraling into a vortex he couldn't escape.

"- save her but I didn't. I just froze and watched her die. And now I can't even put dressings on her body to help her journey to Silverpelt. Frostbark would have-"

"Vigilpaw!"

"- done something. Why did she have to die? It should've been me. She was so much more-"

"Vigilpaw!" Snaketail said loudly, interrupting the stream of words coming out of his mouth. Vigilpaw's eyes widened, his mind finally catching up with his actions. He slapped his tail over his mouth, horrified. Had he really said all of that out loud? And in front of his leader?

"Breathe," Longberry told him. Vigilpaw realized he'd been the second voice trying to get his attention during his ramblings, the first being Vinestar. Longberry, StarClan bless him, took a stiff step forwards him and lowered his gaze, meeting his eyes. "Breathe with me. Inhale and count to four."

Vigilpaw did as he was told, easily falling into the familiar routine. Afterall, these moments weren't exactly uncommon.

"Now hold it for seven heartbeats. There you go, you're doing well, Vigilpaw. Now exhale for eight heartbeats. Good, good. Keep doing that until you calm down."

"You're okay," Snaketail whispered to him and Vigilpaw felt a wave of tranquility wash over him. Snaketail's words carried an honest undertone and Vigilpaw loved that more than anything. He always knew exactly what to say and how to say it. "Remember Longberry's breathing exercise. Calm down, Vigilpaw. We're home. There's nothing to do but look forward."

Vigilpaw's chest was tight but the mass loosened a bit. Vigilpaw realized that his paws were moving. Snaketail was guiding him toward his den.

"I can't go to my nest yet," Vigilpaw protested weakly as they stepped inside. "There's so much I need to do."

"There is. You're ThunderClan's medicine cat now," Snaketail told him and a fresh wave of fear rolled in. Vigilpaw stiffly let Snaketail push him into his nest. Vigilpaw let out a choked breath when his eyes fell on Frostbark's nest, knowing she would never lie in it again, but remembered that Longberry asked him to breathe. He tried his best to follow the order as Snaketail sat beside him and lapped the top of his head. "ThunderClan needs its medicine cat which means that you need to get your strength back. Rest, Vigilpaw. Patternheart, Rushstalk, and I are fine and Echopelt and Longberry's injuries can wait."

"I'm no medicine cat," Vigilpaw responded quietly as he settled into the moss and bracken. "I have no one to give me my name. A medicine needs his name. An apprentice name is as meaningless as a kit name. I'm no one and there's no one to make me someone. I'm nothing."

"You're so much more than your name, Vigilpaw," Snaketail told him gently. "I know you need one but we can worry about that later. Right now you just need to rest. We deserve it."

"Okay," Vigilpaw whispered and let his head fall against the moss of his nest. Snaketail shifted into a slightly more comfortable position and pressed his muzzle against his ear but said nothing. Vigilpaw appreciated the gesture either way. The warmth of another cat's pelt beside him was enough to soothe him enough to give into the lull of the darkness.

Vigilpaw's body suddenly felt light and his wounds stopped stinging. He sat up abruptly, startled to find that Snaketail wasn't at his side anymore. He panicked for a couple heartbeats, looking around frantically, before recognizing the clearing he sat in. Well, recognize wasn't the right word. It held the ring of familiarity and that was all he needed to know where he was. He was visiting StarClan.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to show up here," a voice said. Vigilpaw jumped. He looked around only to find that thick mist was obstructing his vision. After a few more heartbeats, it began pulling back, revealing a silver tabby sitting on a large grey stone.

The tabby's blue eyes were faded, almost like Vigilpaw's own, but his gaze was sharp. He leaped off the stone gracefully and padded towards him. Vigilpaw couldn't help but take a step back, intimidated by the cat's presence but still awed by the sight of stars in his fur. Vigilpaw had seen plenty of StarClan cats before but this tom was exactly what Vigilpaw thought of when someone said StarClan cat. Lean and supple, stars matching his tabby markings perfectly, his pelt faded ever so slightly yet still bold with color, eyes ominously blue yet piercing. He was beautiful.

"Who are you?" Vigilpaw asked. The tabby ignored him. Or he didn't hear him. Vigilpaw spoke pretty quietly but he suspected the former.

The beautiful tabby circled him, paws barely skimming the smooth earth below. He coiled and weaved with the same grace as Snaketail fought, inspecting the medicine cat apprentice curiously. Any fear that lingered suddenly disappeared, replaced with awe. Vigilpaw turned each time the cat took a step, keeping him in his mystified gaze. What was he doing?

The cat eventually came to a stop and gave him a short nod. "I made a good choice with you. Welcome, Vigilpaw, to the mist."

"The mist?" Vigilpaw echoed. He tilted his head, curious. "What's that?"

"The borders of StarClan's hunting grounds," the tabby told him. "It's here you can best hear Silverpelt. Normal warriors are rarely invited here. It's usually just the cats that were reflected on the lake during the first sunrise that are welcome here. Even then, it's usually just the most faded cats or the ones with the most stars in their fur that make their nests here."

Vigilpaw didn't follow but he nodded numbly, holding onto each one of this StarClan cat's words. "Then what am I doing here?"

The tabby shrugged. "An accident, maybe. I didn't call you here but I've been waiting for you to show up. Now's probably as good a time as any, with you being mentorless and all. You're ThunderClan's medicine cat now, Vigilpaw."

"Yeah," Vigilpaw whispered. He swallowed and let his gaze meet the tabby's, all his insecurities shining in his eyes. "I don't know if I can do it."

"Of course you can," the tabby scoffed. "You're like me. You can't fight your destiny, Vigilpaw. You're going to be a great medicine cat."

"But I'm not even a medicine cat. I'm just an apprentice. And now my mentor's gone."

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting that to happen for awhile," the tabby responded. "I'm not going to let that stop you though and you better not let any of those anxious little thoughts in your head tell you otherwise either. My old apprentice fought those things every day and I think he turned out alright. As much as I love Alderheart, I need you to be better than either of us were, you hear? Pretend I'm your mentor now."

"You're my mentor?" Vigilpaw echoed, eyes still wide and confused.

"That's right," the silver tom said with a short nod. "I'm your mentor now. And as your mentor, I say that ThunderClan needs a medicine cat. It's time for you to get your name, Vigilpaw."

"Wait, what?"

"Don't you think you deserve it?"

"I mean, I guess," Vigilpaw mumbled. That wasn't a lie. Did he want it? Yes. Did he think he deserved it? He didn't know. Vigilpaw desperately hoped this StarClan cat knew what he was doing.

The tom flicked his ear in annoyance. "I suppose that's the best I can hope to get out of you. Are you ready, Vigilpaw, to become a fully fledged medicine cat of ThunderClan?"

"I think so."

"What? Speak up!"

"Yes," Vigilpaw said louder as the tabby tom opposite of him stood up straighter and looked up to whatever lay above Silverpelt. The mist blocked their view but Vigilpaw still felt a rush of humility that there was something even greater than the stars.

"I, the sharp-eyed jay of Silverpelt, use the power of the stars to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat and I will watch over him as he serves his clan for many moons to come," the silver tabby said before dropping his gaze. Vigilpaw drew himself up, planting his paws firmly on the earth under his feet, and let their pale eyes lock. "Vigilpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between clans and protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do." Vigilpaw never felt more sure of anything in his life.

"Then by the powers of the stars, I give you your true name as a medicine cat," the tom said, pride dancing in his blue eyes. "Vigilpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Vigilstorm. The stars honor your instinct and heart. I welcome you as a full medicine cat of ThunderClan."

Vigilstorm sat up a bit taller at the sound of his name, eyes glowing with pride. All the pain and turmoil from the day washed away the heartbeat his name fell on his ears. All the tension and heavy despair was lifted and Vigilstorm felt whole, like he'd gained something he'd never realized he was missing. Vigilstorm. He had a name now, the name he'd carry for the rest of his life and all the way to StarClan. He never realized how much he longed for it. Why did he think he wasn't ready for it? If he'd known he needed to hear his own name so much, Vigilstorm would have asked for it a long time ago.

"Thank you," Vigilstorm whispered as his heart leaped with joy. He was quiet. No amount of noise could express his gratitude. The tom sitting before him tipped his head and smiled.

"Do you like your new name?"

"Yes. I do." Vigilstorm swallowed a purr. "More than anything."

"Good. Because there was no other name I could give you."

Vigilstorm blinked, once again entranced by this strange StarClan cat. "What do you mean?"

"I was once another cat," the tabby told him as if he hadn't heard him. "Thanks to the same power that I shared with you, I was able to remember by past. I haven't seen yours but I hope you'll get the chance to see it. You of all cats deserve it."

"I don't understand." Vigilstorm frowned.

"There's a lot you don't understand, little storm cloud," the silver tabby told him. Vigilstorm opened his mouth to question him but black spots began to fill his vision.

"Wait!"

"It's time for you to wake up. We'll see each other soon, Vigilstorm."

Vigilstorm tried to call out again but a blanket of darkness filled his vision, plunging him back into the realm of unconsciousness.


	7. Riding the Waves of Aftershock

"This is so boring!" Roarpaw complained loudly, dramatically throwing himself on the ground in front of the apprentice den, dropping a bundle of moss in the process.

Wolfpaw sighed and got him an unamused stare. With a single paw swipe, he batted the moss back into the den and prodded Roarpaw's shoulder. "Get up."

"I don't wanna!"

"You're acting like a kit."

"You of all cats should be the last one to tell me that."

"Get up or I'll sit on you."

"Fine," Roarpaw grumbled and pulled himself to his paws only to sit back down again. "Are there any warriors in the camp? It's been, like, moons since we've gone on patrol. There's gotta be someone around to take us out."

"Snaketail and Patternheart told us to clean out all the dens," Wolfpaw reminded him.

"I know, I know. But it's not like they'd know if we took a break!" Roarpaw said. Wolfpaw gave him a deadpan stare and pointed his tail in the direction of the warrior's den. Roarpaw licked his ginger chest fur sheepishly. "Oh right. I totally didn't forget that they're in camp."

The past quarter-moon had been filled with some of the most boring days of Wolfpaw's life. With Snaketail and Patternheart out of commission, the brothers were left mentorless. Vinestar had tried reassigning them to other warriors as well as letting them go out with Hazelpaw, Hedgepaw and their mentors Blazefeather and Icetooth but it had only taken a couple of days for everyone to realize that wasn't going to work out. Thus, Snaketail and Patternheart had decided to just verbally give them instructions. Unfortunately, that most meant doing laps around the forest and chores in camp.

Well, it was unfortunate for Roarpaw. If not for Roarpaw's complaining, Wolfpaw probably would've found it tolerable. He didn't like apprentice duties but, as he had told Roarpaw several times, he found them necessary and almost enjoyed the gritty work. Laps he liked considerably less but there was something satisfying that came from knowing that he was getting stronger. Already he'd noticed that he was getting faster and he was far less tired after each lap. The same went for Roarpaw but the other tom didn't seem to care.

This morning, Snaketail and Patternheart had told them to clean the dens. All the dens. Completely. That meant clearing out the old moss and bracken from the warriors' den, the apprentice den, the medicine den, the leader's den, the elders' den, and the nursery, collecting new moss and bracken, making sure there weren't any thorns caught in the bedding, and making a new nest for every cat in the clan. Not only was it boring, it would take all day.

Roarpaw and Wolfpaw began soon after dawn and it was well after sunhigh by now. Wolfpaw's entire body ached but they were almost done. They'd already collected all the moss and bracken they needed and finished their work in the warriors, leader, elders, and apprentice den. The only things left were to clean out the nursery and medicine den and make a few new nests and then Roarpaw and Wolfpaw could go rest their weary paws and sun in the forest.

The thought provided some solace but Wolfpaw really wished he just had his mentor again. Snaketail and Patternheart were doing better than Echopelt and Longberry but Vigilpaw said that it would still be awhile before they were ready to resume their duties. Wolfpaw hoped for his own sake as well as the warriors that they would all be able to get back into things. More than once, Wolfpaw had caught Roarpaw trying to sneak Snaketail and Patternheart out of camp and Wolfpaw hated that he was the one who had to run off to Vigilpaw to hiss some sense into them. Honestly, he understood that Patternheart and Snaketail were getting restless but they were warriors for StarClan's sake! They had apprentices, they were both trusted members of the clan. Wolfpaw was always one for getting into trouble but he wasn't stupid. He's think the three of them would be sensible enough to heed their medicine cat's words instead of acting like kits.

"Do you think Patternheart and Snaketail want some company?" Wolfpaw asked his brother. "Snaketail told me he was getting kind of tired of spending so much time with Patternheart in the warriors' den after Vigilpaw dragged Longberry and Echopelt to the medicine den."

"Maybe," Roarpaw said, sobering up. "But we've still gotta clean up the nursery and Vigilpaw's den. I think Dottail could use the company more than those two."

Wolfpaw silently realized he was right. The queen wasn't faring well. She'd been in the nursery for a couple moons back when Wolfpaw and Roarpaw were kits and no words could express how much it hurt Wolfpaw that such a strong, caring she-cat was suffering so much.

"You go on ahead. I'll gather up all the extra moss," Wolfpaw told him. Roarpaw nodded and padded off toward the nursery. Wolfpaw ducked into the den they just finished cleaning, scraped together the remaining moss, and followed after his brother.

Wolfpaw never made it to the nursery. Just as he was about to step in, Vigilpaw stepped out and the two crashed into each other, both dropping whatever they were carrying.

"Sorry!" Wolfpaw squeaked and hurried to help Vigilpaw pick up whatever herbs he dropped.

"Don't worry about it, Wolfpaw," Vigilpaw said with unusual softness. "Are you using that moss? I could use it to freshen up Longberry and Echopelt's nests."

"I was just about to replace all the nests in the nursery and then move onto the medicine den," Wolfpaw told him. He wrinkled his nose as he picked up some of the leaves in his teeth. He'd never get used to the sharp scent of herbs.

"You might want to put that off for a bit."

"What?"

Vigilpaw angled his ears in the direction of the nursery. Wolfpaw peered in and saw his brother lying next to Dottail. The queen's belly was swollen with kits but somehow she seemed smaller. Her muzzle was buried in Roarpaw's shoulder fur, her body shaking with sobs, while Roarpaw ran his tail down her back soothingly.

"I've tried my best to keep her going but without Larkwhisker around…" Vigilpaw trailed off. He looked lost for a moment but he shook himself, regaining his stoic composure. "Roarpaw thought I should take a break. He thought she could use another shoulder to lean on."

Wolfpaw nodded, noticing the tiredness in his eyes. "You deserve a nap."

"I can't. I have too many things to do."

"Well then let me help you," Wolfpaw offered and picked up the rest of the herbs on the floor, leaving the moss. He was coming back later anyway. He could pick it up then. Vigilpaw was more important.

The dark tom murmured thanks and the two padded back to the medicine den. Wolfpaw waved his tail in greeting to Longberry and Echopelt only to find the two were both fast asleep in the spare nests. Wolfpaw's gaze softened a bit. The two were so important to the clan and they'd been through so much. Wolfpaw hoped they would be on their paws again soon.

"Where should I put these?" Wolfpaw asked. He received no response. "Vigilpaw?"

He turned to see that Vigilpaw was staring blankly at the cobwebs on the medicine den's ceiling, swaying a bit on his paws. Wolfpaw felt a flash of worry and dropped the herbs, hurrying to his friend's side.

"Hey, Vigilpaw," Wolfpaw said, pressing against him in case he fell. Thankfully, the other apprentice snapped back to reality, blinking in confusion.

"What? Oh… Sorry Wolfpaw."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Wolfpaw insisted, trying to sound stern. "At least sit down if you're going to sort herbs. You're exhausted."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Wolfpaw said sharply. "You were injured in that fight too and you've barely had any time off your paws since you got back. You're ThunderClan's only link to StarClan now and you're the only cat who can save us if anything happens. We need you to be strong, Vigilpaw."

"Vigilstorm."

"What?"

"Vigilstorm," Vigilstorm repeated. He turned to face Wolfpaw. The tiredness was still clear but he looked a bit more like his old self. Nervousness filled his gaze but there was still a glow of happiness behind it. "A StarClan cat came to me in my dreams and gave me my name and title as ThunderClan's medicine cat. My name is Vigilstorm now."

Wolfpaw blinked a few times in shock before breaking into a loud purr and shouldering Vigilstorm playfully. "That's amazing! When did it happen? Why didn't you say anything?"

"It happened the night we got back," Vigilstorm admitted. His gaze dropped and his eyes fixed on his black paws. "There was never a good time and I didn't want to just announce it… I told Snaketail already but I asked him not to tell anyone."

"Why not?" Wolfpaw asked, confused. "You got your name! Aren't you happy?"

"Of course! I love my name. It's just… It's strange, don't you think? I didn't want any cat to laugh."

"Why would they laugh?" Wolfpaw questioned. He looked over at the pair of sleeping cats a tail length away. "Vigilstorm is no stranger than Echopelt or Longberry. Vinestar really does come up with some weird names, doesn't he? It's like his creativity split in two and argues with itself all the time or something. Everyone has great names. Strange but normal is boring, isn't it?"

"Normal is boring," Vigilstorm agreed wholeheartedly. His gaze lifted and his violet eyes met Wolfpaw's, glowing with gratitude and affection. "Thanks, Wolfpaw. I really like my name but I was scared to share it. I feel a bit better now."

"What are friends for?" Wolfpaw purred. "I think Vigilstorm suits you. You never sleep and your pelt's really dark so goes with the theme. I think Roarpaw'd like it too. He calls you storm cloud all the time for a reason."

"The StarClan cat called me that too," Vigilstorm murmured. "He said it was the only thing he could call me. It was weird but he didn't explain himself."

"Who was it?"

"I don't know," Vigilstorm admitted. "During the ceremony, he didn't use his name. He just called himself the sharp-eyed jay. He said he was another cat once. Maybe he's confused about his identity?"

"Maybe," Wolfpaw said thoughtfully. "Did he say anything about ShadowClan?"

Vigilstorm shook his head. "I don't think he's a normal StarClan cat. We met in the mist, the edges of StarClan. I don't think he can see the clans all that well with all that fog in the air. I'll probably see another cat when I visit the Moonpool next half moon. I can ask then."

"Good. I'm getting worried."

"Me too, Wolfpaw," Vigilstorm sighed. "Me too."

* * *

The journey to the Moonpool was quiet and lonely without Frostbark at his side. Vigilstorm was never the most social cat and Frostbark respected that so conversation rarely occured between the two on their walks but even just hearing the pawsteps of another cat to let him know he wasn't wandering through the forest alone was comforting. Vigilstorm felt his heart throb with longing. For the past half moon, he'd had another cat at his side constantly, whether it be his friends Snaketail or Wolfpaw, his patients in the medicine den, or Dottail. This was the first time since the incident that Vigilstorm was truly alone.

Surprisingly, Vigilstorm found himself feeling a lot better now that he was away from the camp and his clanmates. It was like the claws around his heart suddenly sheathed, letting all the pain and built up pressure disperse. Vigilstorm loved his friends, he really did. They were his anchor but he knew he was a reclusive cat by nature and he realized that spending so much time with others was a bit much. Being around others could be unbearable. It was like he absorbed all the negativity coming from them and channeled it directly into his already darkened heart.

Vigilstorm padded up the ridge and saw that SkyClan's medicine cats Longear and Rainpaw as well as Stonestream of RiverClan were already waiting at the usual meeting place. They were deep in conversation when Vigilstorm approached but the three went quiet when Vigilstorm made his presence known. Three pairs of eyes fell on him and Vigilstorm couldn't help but squirm under their gazes. He hated being stared at. Especially like this. They were looking at him like he was the last leaf clinging to the tree branch in the middle of leaf-fall.

"Vigilpaw…" Stonestream started.

"Vigilstorm," Vigilstorm interrupted. He winced. His tone was sharper than he intended it to be.

"What?"

"I got my name," Vigilstorm explained.

Confusion swirled in Stonestream's eyes but she broke into a purr anyway. "That's great. It suits you."

"Did I hear that right? Vigilpaw got his name?" a voice asked and Vigilstorm turned to see that the final medicine cat, Ravenfur, was making his way up the ridge. His eyes glowed as they fell on the younger tom. "It's about time! Congratulations, Vigilstorm."

"Thank you," Vigilstorm murmured with a slight dip of his head.

Longear repeated the formality but Rainpaw had a few questions. "Who gave you your name? You were still an apprentice the last time I saw you and there's no one to…"

Vigilstorm ignored the implication. "It was StarClan."

The other medicine cats closed their mouths. They of all cats knew how sacred the words exchanged between a healer and their ancestors were. They couldn't ask each other what happened. Vigilstorm was grateful for that. He'd shared the story behind his name only with his closest friend Snaketail and surprisingly Wolfpaw. He wasn't sure what it was about Wolfpaw that drew him to him but he liked him. He was odd but, as Wolfpaw often said, being normal was boring and Wolfpaw was far from normal. He shared his brother's love for fantasy and adventure but he was far more realistic about it, far more focused on detail and the more… unsavory aspects of it. Vigilstorm found that all the more alluring. He'd never really had a cat to share his weird interests with. Just that morning, the two had had a full conversation about the best way to extract mouse bile and Vigilstorm was sure both of them enjoyed it more than they'd admit to any cat. It was nice to have a second friend he could trust.

Wolfpaw had an interest in StarClan and herbs too. He had no desire to learn the ways of a medicine cat but he respected Vigilstorm's work and Vigilstorm appreciated that. Few warriors understood the medicine cat code or how difficult a life of solitude and sacrifice was.

A medicine cat sacrificed sleep and companionship more than anything else and on nights like these, Vigilstorm didn't regret his decision to follow this path in the slightest. There was nothing like the thrill he got in his belly when he prepared to share tongues with StarClan. He would spend a thousand nights alone if it meant he got the chance to see a glimmer of moonlight on the Moonpool's surface.

The medicine cats exchanged a few words before heading towards the hollow. Greenleaf's warmth was kind and it was a nice night to be out. Vigilstorm was sure that if they weren't worried about wasting moonlight, the cats could stay out all night without a care in the world. But, they had something to do.

The hollow that held the Moonpool always left Vigilstorm breathless. The sight of the water trickling down the stone and into the pool bordered by soft sand was breathtaking. At this time of night, it always looked its best. The half moon's light illuminated the whole hollow, washing over it with a white glow that always made his tail curl.

The medicine cats padded down to the water's edge. Wordlessly, Vigilstorm settled down and plunged his muzzle into the cold liquid. He closed his eyes, letting darkness blanket him, and opened them in a bright, green field. A familiar white she-cat stood before him. "Frostbark!"

"Vigilpaw," Frostbark purred and took a step towards him but Vigilstorm was faster. Like a kit running up to his mother, he bounded across the field and thrust his face into her white chest fur, breathing in her scent. He hadn't realized how much he missed it. Or rather he had but finally being with his old mentor again made all those feelings come raining back down on him. He didn't want to pull away and thankful Frostbark didn't seem to want to either. She wrapped her tail around him and lapped the top of his head. "Oh, Vigilpaw. I'm so sorry that I left you so soon. I wish I'd gotten the chance to give you your name."

"It's not your fault," Vigilstorm muttered into her fur, refusing to show his face. "And I got my name already."

"You did?" Frostbark took a step back and Vigilstorm's heart screamed at the loss of contact. The moment was over too quickly. He wanted to curl up next to her and just listen to her tell him that everything was going to be okay but he knew that couldn't happen. He was a full grown cat and had his name to prove it. He couldn't act like a kit.

"A StarClan cat visited me in my dreams and performed the ceremony," Vigilstorm explained for what he hoped would be the last time. This was getting repetitive and he was already tired of it. "I'm called Vigilstorm now."

"Vigilstorm," Frostbark repeated to herself. Her eyes lit up and she purred. "I like it. Who gave it to you?"

"I'm not sure," Vigilstorm said with a frown.

"You're not sure? It wasn't a cat you've spoken with before?"

Vigilstorm shook his head. "We met in the mist. He said that most StarClan cats don't like to hang out around there. He didn't seem like a normal StarClan warrior. He wasn't, was he?"

Frostbark was silent for a moment before turning around, beckoning him with her tail. "Come on."

Vigilstorm followed without hesitation. "Where are we going?"

Frostbark lead him to the treeline. "You've never wandered beyond the meeting places, have you? Do you want to see the rest of StarClan?"

Vigilstorm blinked a few times before nodding. "Yeah. I always wondered what was behind the trees."

"I did too when I was alive," Frostbark told him as they padded into the woodland. "It wasn't until I joined StarClan that I got to see."

Vigilstorm stopped in his tracks. "I don't want to invade."

Frostbark waved him off. "Don't worry. Just because I didn't doesn't mean living cats aren't allowed back here. Ravenclaw wanders around StarClan's hunting grounds all the time, actually. It's not normal but it's not uncommon. And you've been to the mist so I doubt any cat will complain."

Vigilstorm swallowed away his worries and resumed his pawsteps, trailing close behind his former mentor. "Where are we going?"

"Have you ever heard of Bluestar or Yellowfang?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, they were alive during the beginning of one of the most important eras of clan history. They've got a lot of influence here in StarClan," Frostbark explained. "If you have any questions about what's going on in Silverpelt, they're the cats to ask."

"Oh." Vigilstorm knew he shouldn't have been surprised. In ThunderClan, Rushstalk the cat to go to for gossip. StarClan was a clan too so it made sense that they had cats like that too.

As the pair moved deeper into StarClan territory, Vigilstorm saw a few other cats. They were all sharing tongues or running around, dodging trees. They all had stars in their fur but they looked happy. Happier than most living cats Vigilstorm knew.

Vigilstorm shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking like that.

"Where do you think we'll find them?" Vigilstorm asked once the trees began thinning.

"They've got this favorite spot," Frostbark told him. "It shouldn't be too much farther."

The two broke the forest and Vigilstorm's eyes fell on a massive, staggered stone with half a pawful of cats scattered across it, all of them sunning.

"Oakheart, Crookedstar, Cinderpelt, Reedwhisker, scram," Frostbark said as the two approached. Vigilstorm almost stopped to gape at her rudeness. That didn't sound like his mentor at all!

A dark, reddish brown tom, presumably Oakheart, lifted his head. "Hey! Show us fade-pelts some respect, will you? Just because you still get to visit the living doesn't mean you get to boss us around."

"She's got the ThunderClan medicine cat with her," the cat Vigilstorm assumed was Crokkedstar pointed out. The tom's jaw was twisted painfully and the sight of it made Vigilstorm want to wince. He thought all injuries were healed when cats went to StarClan. But Crookedstar didn't look like he was in pain so maybe the injury wasn't bad enough to disappear? "Must be important."

"It is," Frostbark said. "He spoke to a cat in the mist."

"The mist?" the cats echoed. Oakheart, Crookedstar, Cinderpelt, and Reedwhisker were on their paws in a heartbeat, scrambling to get off the stone. Wordlessly, they darted off into the forest, leaving Vigilstorm and Frostbark with the two she-cats that rested at the top of the stone.

"Wait- ugh," the blue grey she-cat called after them before groaning. She flicked her ear in annoyance. "Did you have to scare them off like that? It took me so long to get us together."

"Why was Reedwhisker even there?" Frostbark questioned.

"I don't know. I just like him, okay?"

"Don't get your fur in a bunch," the flat faced dark grey she-cat grumbled. "She's got good reason barging in on us like that."

"Fine," the other she-cat grumbled. She got to her paws and jumped off the stone, landing neatly before the visiting pair. "This better be important."

"He spoke to a cat from the mist," Frostbark repeated. "I assure you, it's important."

"Are you sure he spoke to a cat from the mist?" the second cat questioned, making her way down the stone at a much slower pace. "You're new to StarClan. You barely know anything about our hunting grounds, let alone the borders."

"Would I bring him here if I wasn't sure, Yellowfang?" Frostbark sighed before turning to Vigilstorm. "Vigilstorm, tell Bluestar and Yellowfang about the cat you spoke to."

Vigilstorm blinked a few times, not liking that he was put on the spot so suddenly and without warning. "Well, um, he was a silver tabby. Like a mottled grey and silver. His fur was thin but it looked soft and silky. His pelt had a lot of stars in it, more than any of you, and he was a bit faded but he still looked pretty, um, together. His fur was really beautiful."

Yellowfang rolled her eyes and snorted but Vigilstorm ignored her and continued.

"He was pretty lean too. He looked strong but I don't think he was a warrior," Vigilstorm described. "Oh, and he had these faded eyes. They were kind of pale, like mine, but they were blue."

Yellowfang and Bluestar exchanged a startled glance. Hesitantly, Bluestar looked back at him and tipped her head, prompting him to keep speaking. "Did he say anything?"

"Um… He said that he was like me but I don't know what he meant. Nothing he really said made any sense," Vigilstorm told her. He shuffled his paws. "During the ceremony, he called himself the sharp-eyed jay of Silverpelt."

"Jayfeather," Yellowfang stated. She lashed her tail. "That old mole. What's he up to?"

"Jayfeather?" Vigilstorm repeated. He frowned. "I've never heard of him."

"Me neither," Frostbark admitted, tipping her head to one side. "Who is he?"

"Some cats call him Jay's Wing but most of StarClan just calls him the sharp-eyed jay," Bluestar explained. Her tail flicked behind her but Vigilstorm couldn't tell if it was deliberate or not. "The cats who knew him call him by the name they knew him as but everyone else finds it confusing. A lot of cats think that calling him by his Ancient name or by his clan name is insulting."

"Really?" Vigilstorm didn't understand how calling a cat by his name could be insulting. It was his name for StarClan's sake! But this was StarClan and Vigilstorm knew that he was too inexperienced to understand their ways quite yet. "How come?"

"Jayfeather was probably one of the greatest cats in clan history," Yellowfang told him.

Bluestar snorted. "That's a lie. He's the greatest cat in the history of catkind, second only to Rock but no one knows where he is these days."

"I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. He's one of the Four. The four of them share-"

"And he had the strongest connection to his power than the other three," Bluestar argued.

"I suppose," Yellowfang grunted. "But he's still a furball."

"Yes, but he's your furball," Bluestar said with a snort and the roll of her eyes.

Yellowfang looked back to Vigilstorm. "Like I said, Jayfeather was one of four prophesized cats destined to save the clans. He was more than that but what's important is that he was gifted with the power of the stars. He lost it after he fulfilled the prophecy but Silverpelt seems to like him for whatever reason and he got his powers back when he died. He lives in the mist doing Silverpelt knows what at the border."

"He has the power of the stars?" Vigilstorm repeated. He swallowed. An uneasy feeling was bubbling up in his throat and he did not like it.

Yellowfang nodded, not seeming to notice his sudden nervousness. "The Three were said to have the power of the stars in their paws. I'm not really sure how the fourth cat falls into that but Firestar had some kind of power too. No cat but the Four really understands it though."

Vigilstorm waved his tail frantically. "Wait, go back. He had the power of the stars in his paws?"

Yellowfang nodded but her sharp-tongue was suddenly gone. "Yes… Why? Is that a problem?"

Vigilstorm didn't say anything, just stumbling back as a blizzard of thoughts rushed into his mind.

"Vigilstorm?" Frostbark looked worried. "Are you okay?"

Vigilstorm coughed and shook his head. "Jayfeather… Jayfeather said that he had a power that he shared with me. He said that he hoped I would be able to see my past, like he did. Does that mean…?"

Frostbark, Bluestar, and Yellowfang exchanged a glance.

"That could mean anything," Bluestar said slowly.

Vigilstorm flattened his ears and glared. "Don't treat me like a kit. Tell me. I have to know. Was I another cat before I was… before I was…"

Vigilstorm couldn't find the words to express his thoughts and it frustrated him. He was sure if Longberry was here, he'd be able to help him but he wasn't so he just had to struggle on his own. Vigilstorm didn't quite understand what it meant to have been another cat but the idea of it scared him. What happened to his old life? Why didn't he remember it? What kind of life did he live? Why had he been given a second chance? What kind of cat was he? Did he live in a clan? Was he even a cat at all? Oh StarClan, what if he'd been a dog? Or a duck? Or a twoleg?

Frostbark ran her tail over his spine and Vigilstorm forced his mind back to the present. He shook his head, clearing those thoughts, and cleared his throat. "Why is he interested in me? What kind of powers did he have? What does this mean for me? Do I have them? It doesn't feel like it but..."

"Don't worry about it," Yellowfang told him.

Vigilstorm almost laughed in her face. "I thought you were supposed to be a medicine cat. You should know that's the last thing you tell an anxious cat."

"Well, we didn't know a lot about anxiety when I was a medicine cat," Yellowfang snapped but she didn't sound angry. She sounded… hollow. Empty. Vigilstorm tried to ignore it but that voice in the back of his mind kept pulling his attention back to it. "Really, you should forget about it, Vigilstorm. If we learn anything, we'll tell you but in the meantime, there's nothing you can do."

"But-"

"You heard her, Vigilstorm," Frostbark told him softly. "Drop it. There's nothing we can do."

Vigilstorm let his shoulders sag. "Okay. I won't let go of this but I'll put it aside for now. Happy?"

"Peachy," Yellowfang growled. "Now it's time for you to wake up."

Vigilstorm gasped as he jolted awake, sitting up abruptly. He glanced around to see that his fellow medicine cats were stirring softly, beginning to wake as well. Vigilstorm sighed and flopped down on the bank, squeezing his eyes shut. How he wished it was one of them instead. He wasn't a particularly special cat. Why did it have to be him? He was sure any one of these cats could handle whatever it was Jayfeather expected him to do far better than Vigilstorm could.

"Did everyone sleep well?" Ravenfur asked with a yawn as he stretched. He blinked sleepily and sat back on his haunches.

"I know we're not supposed to share our dreams," Stonestream spoke up, "but seeing as Sneezefeather and Sootpaw aren't here and none of us know where ShadowClan is…"

Longear nodded. "I agree. If any of us have learned anything, we should share it."

Rainpain looked hesitant but she didn't disagree. "I know we shouldn't but I think it would be wise for us all to share our dreams. That way if one of us missed something."

Panic flooded Vigilstorm's chest. There was no way he could talk about his dream. He was even more confused than he had been the day he spoke to Jayfeather and he had no interest in sharing what he learned with his fellow medicine cats. Lip peeling back into a snarl, he voiced just that. "No way!"

"Woah, no need to get hissy," Ravenfur placated. "If you don't want to share, you don't have to but I really think you should. We all should."

All the cats eyes were on him and Vigilstorm felt himself giving in. Not completely, just a little bit. He growled in annoyance. "Fine. I talked Frostbark and these older ThunderClan cats called Bluestar and Yellowfang. I saw a pawful of other cats but they ran off. None of them said anything about ShadowClan."

The other medicine cats shared their dreams. Most of them had just met with their predecessors or past warriors from their respective clans. Each of them had asked about ShadowClan and none of them had received any sort of answer. StarClan sounded worried but Ravenfur said he'd seen a former ShadowClan warrior when his past mentor walked him through StarClan's hunting grounds so at least they weren't gone completely. It still didn't provide the cats any new information about their missing allies.

The group ended up parting after a few last exchanges. Vigilstorm found himself appreciating the solidarity again. He didn't know why but that last talk riled him up more than it should have. He knew he was probably just being defensive after being asked to share his dream but he couldn't help but worry it was more than that. Strange, scary things waited for him in the future and Vigilstorm was not looking forward to facing them.

* * *

**AN:** Having StarClan cats use expressions is so awkward…

Also I don't know why Reedwhisker was there. I just wanted to throw some old era warriors in and I happen to like him.


	8. Curiosity Can Kill a Cat

Yellowfang had told him to forget about it but Vigilstorm couldn't. He had too many questions, too many curiosities, too many inquiries, for his ever-active mind to just give up on what he'd learned. How could any cat be expected to just ignore the fact that he might have been reborn? It was a big maybe and Vigilstorm didn't know how that was possible. He had no reason to trust Jayfeather but the old StarClan cat had put the idea in his head and how he couldn't stop thinking about it.

There was also the mention of the Four. Once Vigilstorm's mind had calmed enough to stop thinking about his possible past life every heartbeat of the day, it had moved right on to thinking about the prophecy. Four cats with the power of the stars in their paws? That sounded amazing. And he wanted no part in it.

Vigilstorm didn't like responsibility. It scared him more than it should have. He didn't trust himself to do well on anything. Every night, that little voice in the back of his head whispered that the stars made a mistake, he wasn't good enough. Maybe they choose this power for him because of who he used to be, not who he was. It made sense and Vigilstorm wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

Still, the prospect of powers intrigued him. It scared him but it was still fascinating. More for others than himself. The title Four implied three other cats that he shared this burden with. Who were they? Were they like him? He hoped not. More than anything, he wanted to paw whatever this was onto them. He wanted no part in it.

"Vigilstorm."

He knew he had to though. It was his destiny, given to him by his warrior ancestors. He knew he couldn't give up on them. He was the first to learn about this and he'd be the one to figure it out. He'd have a big part in whatever this prophecy became.

"Vigilstorm."

He had no idea what it would or could turn into. Vigilstorm was almost certain that whatever Jayfeather and the Four were planning, it had something to do with the Others and the missing ShadowClan. The clans weren't at war or facing a famine or anything like that. It could only be one thing.

"Vigilstorm."

He didn't know what he could possibly do though. Yellowfang and Bluestar had mentioned powers. Vigilstorm didn't know what that meant. He knew it was nothing like the powers of StarClan. He didn't live in Silverpelt. He couldn't control the clouds or the lightning or how prey ran. No, he was a living, breathing cat so the prophesized powers surely meant something else. He just didn't know what.

"Vigilstorm."

Should he ask someone? Vigilstorm didn't know who to ask. Normally he confided in Snaketail but it was unlikely that the warrior would know anything that he didn't. Maybe Rushstalk? Vigilstorm was always happy to talk to him and the warrior usually knew everything going on in the clan but he was no medicine cat. He didn't understand the ways of StarClan so he wouldn't be any help. The logical choice would be Longberry. The deputy was smart and knew about things that Vigilstorm didn't even know existed. If Vigilstorm was a betting type of cat, he'd bet that Longberry knew something. Anything. Vigilstorm would be grateful for even just a theory. If nothing else, Longberry could provide one of those. But Vigilstorm wasn't sure if he wanted to ask him.

"Vigilstorm!"

Vigilstorm snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his name. He'd been sitting outside his den, absentmindedly watching the camp. It was just before sunhigh and the sun's warm rays felt nice on his pelt. Distracted by his thoughts, he hadn't noticed his sister's approach. He forced a purr to rumble in his throat. "Spiderwatcher. What's up?"

"I've been calling your name for- Nevermind," she sighed and shook out her black fur. "Are you alright? You zoned out for awhile there."

"I'm fine," Vigilstorm lied and rose to his paws. "How are you doing?"

"I was just about to head to the fresh-kill pile. Do you want to share something?" Spiderwatcher asked. "I don't think we've eaten together since Mintleaf died."

Vigilstorm felt a prickle of guilt gnaw at the inside of his belly. "I'm sorry. It's just…"

"I get it. You're the clan's medicine cat now so you've got a lot of new responsibilities and you need to take care of everyone that was hurt on ShadowClan territory."

"That's no excuse."

Spiderwatcher sighed and waved her tail. "Don't worry about it, Vigilstorm. Really, it's fine. I know you have a hard time being around other cats sometimes. It's not the first time I haven't seen you in half a moon."

Vigilstorm ducked his head, feeling a lot worse. Murmuring, apologized again only for Spiderwatcher to shoulder him goodnaturedly.

"I'm just giving you a hard time. Really, don't worry about it," Spiderwatcher assured him, padding toward the fresh-kill pile. Vigilstorm trailed after her, unable to shake the bad feelings welling up inside him. "Though you probably should see Antpatch soon. He misses you, you know? You two used to be so close but it feels like you're drifting apart. And you really need to talk to Leafwillow or something. I know medicine cats don't really hunt or go on patrol but you should go out with him sometime. I know spending some time with his son would mean a lot to him."

"I know," Vigilstorm whispered. He shook his head and tried to lift his head. "Are they around? Maybe we could share this meal with them."

To his disappointment, Spiderwatcher shook her head. "Vinestar sent them both out on sunhigh patrol. It's just us today, Vigilstorm. What do you want to eat? I saw Inktrail bring in a juicy looking squirrel this morning but I see a black bird on the pile too. We don't get a lot of those. Or if you're really hungry, we could share a rabbit."

"Whatever you want," Vigilstorm told her as the pair neared the middle of camp. Truth be told, he hadn't been eating much lately. The constant stream of thoughts rushing through his head had been worse since going to the Moonpool and it was starting to upset his stomach. Maybe spending the afternoon with his sister would soothe his nerves enough to eat something. "How about that squirrel? It looks like a big one. We could definitely share it."

"Squirrel it is then," Spiderwatcher hummed and snatched the piece of prey up in her teeth. She pulled it out of the pile and dragged it off to a sunlit corner of camp and settled down, gesturing for Vigilstorm to do the same. "So what have you been up to?"

"Not much," Vigilstorm said, waiting for Spiderwatcher to take the first bite of prey but his sister wasn't having that. She pushed it towards him, wordlessly telling him to eat and Vigilstorm couldn't help but give in to her demands. He leaned down and ripped a chunk of meat off the squirrel's flank. The moment the rich flavors hit his tongue, his belly growled, yowling for more. His pelt heated up as he chewed with embarrassment.

"Littermates know best," Spiderwatcher said smugly as she took a victorious bite of her own. "How is it being alone in the medicine den?"

"I'm not alone. Echopelt and Longberry will still be there for at least another quarter-moon," Vigilstorm told her. The deputy and mediator were on their way to recovery but Vigilstorm still wanted to keep an eye on them before sending them back to their own nests. Both were hurt a lot worse than he had initially realized. It was a miracle that no more cats died before the secondary patrols had arrived. The fight had exhausted Longberry and Echopelt and both were covered in numerous wounds, many deeper than others. Vigilstorm had to work hard to keep them from getting infected.

"How long until Longberry's back to organizing patrols? As much as I love Vinestar, it's not the same without Longberry's… You know how he is. He's kind of a stick in the mud sometimes but there's no cat quite like him. No cat organizes patrols like he does."

"Soon," Vigilstorm promised. "He's doing okay. He's still his old self, always complaining about not being productive."

Spiderwatcher purred. "Sounds like Longberry. Have you asking either of them to help you out any while they're there?"

Vigilstorm nodded. "Longberry's surprisingly good with herbs so I've been asking him to take inventory every morning. I don't really need it but it keeps him busy. And Echopelt's been helping me with this new idea that Frostbark and I were talking about just before… you know."

Spiderwatcher nodded silently as she took another bite. "You mean that thing with the spiders? I have no idea why you'd want to put spiders in your den, Vigilstorm, but it's so you."

"They produce cobwebs! I'm not doing it for the aesthetic," Vigilstorm said in mock offense. "Just because I like night hunting and keeping my distance from other cats doesn't mean I've got bees in my brain."

Spiderwatcher purred and teasingly poked him with her tail. "I know, I know. Just don't tell Patternheart or he'll never go into your den, even if he's about to bleed out. You know how much he hates spiders."

"Yeah. I'll never understand that cat," Vigilstorm said with a shake of his head. He actually liked spiders. Maybe he was biased, both his littermates were named after the little crawlers, but they were interesting and useful. He saw no harm in letting a few climb around the ceiling of the medicine den if it meant he didn't have to go out into the forest to find cobwebs for dressings. "You went on patrol with him this morning, didn't you? How's he holding up? He's only been back to his duties for a couple of days but I'm still worried about him."

"He seems fine. A bit slower than normal but bright as always," Spiderwatcher told him. "Roarpaw came with us. He seemed excited to get back to training."

Vigilstorm took another bite of the squirrel and exhaled through his nose. "Hopefully this doesn't set him and Wolfpaw back too much."

"It's still early in their training," Spiderwatcher pointed out. "They've barely started combat training. I wouldn't worry."

"You do realize who you're talking to, right? I'll always worry. About everything ever," Vigilstorm joked, whisking his tail.

Amusement flashed in Spiderwatcher's eyes. "Right. How could I forget? Seriously though, Vigilstorm, how are you doing? You didn't look so good earlier."

Vigilstorm ripped another mouthful of meat off the squirrel to avoid talking for a heartbeat. He immediately regretted it. It was mostly fur. He struggled to get it down before coughing and resuming. "It's… Well, there's a big StarClan thing going on."

Spiderwatcher closed her mouth. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, no. Don't worry," Vigilstorm said quickly, waving his tail. He swallowed. "I, um, I was actually hoping to get a second opinion on something. I can't tell you the details, obviously. The medicine cat code is very clear that I can't share these things and I don't really want to but I don't know what to do."

"Oh. Then why didn't you just say so? Fire away."

Vigilstorm blinked his gratitude. "So I was talking to these StarClan cats and the, um, problem that we're dealing with kinda revolves around this really specific era in clan history. I don't really know when it was but I know the names of a couple of leaders and medicine cats from that time period and I need to get some more information on it. Who should I ask for that?"

"Snaketail," Spiderwatcher said immediately. "Or Longberry. Or Echopelt. You know Snaketail loves clan history and Echopelt has like a thousand old stories rattling around in his head and Longberry knows everything about everything. But you know who you should really ask?"

"Who?"

"Vinestar."

"Vinestar? Why?"

"Leaders and medicine cats share all kinds of things," Spiderwatcher said as if it were obvious. She took another bite of the fresh-kill and kept talking with her mouth full. "I'm sure he told a bunch of things to Frostbark but now that you're medicine cat, it's your turn. I'm sure there's plenty he needs to tell you anyway and you could ask him whatever you need to. Leaders and medicine cats are supposed to share what StarClan tells them, right?"

"Um, yeah. I guess. Actually, yeah. You're right," Vigilstorm said. He blinked a few times. How hadn't he realized that? Purring, he got to his paws. "Thanks Spiderwatcher!"

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"I need to talk to Vinestar."

"We're in the middle of a meal!"

"I know, I know. This won't take me long. Save me some."

"Vigilstorm!" Spiderwatcher called after him, laughing, as Vigilstorm bounded across camp. He wasted no time heading to the leader's den, skidding to a stop and spraying up stones to announce his arrival.

"Vinestar?" he called out as his actions finally caught up with his mind. StarClan, had he really just run out on Spiderwatcher? And approached Vinestar unannounced? What had he-

"Vigilstorm," Vinestar purred in response, padding to greet him at the entrance. "Come in. I was just thinking about when would be the right time to talk to you."

"Wait, really?" Vigilstorm hadn't expected that.

"Of course! You're my medicine cat now. There are all kinds of things that a leader must share with his medicine cat to keep the clan running smoothly. Is that not what you came here for?"

Vigilstorm knew that Spiderwatcher had just said that but hearing it from his leader made it all the more real. "Um, actually I came here to ask you about something I heard from StarClan but this sounds more important."

"What? No! StarClan told you something?" Vinestar asked. Vigilstorm wanted to laugh at his excitable behavior. He was almost as bad as Patternheart. "What was it?"

"It could wait…"

Vinestar waved his tail and shook his head. "No, StarClan's more important. I was just going to tell you about apprentice duties and how many lives I have left and that sort of thing."

"I should know that though."

"Another time, Vigilstorm. Another time," Vinestar told him. "What did you want to tell me about?"

Vigilstorm paused for a moment. "Well, it's kind of a long story and I don't really know it all myself. What I wanted to ask you about was… Well, um, have you ever heard of a cat called Firestar? Or Jayfeather? They kind of seem to be in the middle of whatever's going on. I think. I don't know. It has something to do with me but it feels like only really one cat knows what's going on and he's probably not going to tell me anything. StarClan can't answer all of my questions."

Vinestar's cheerful demeanor suddenly vanished, replaced by a far more serious one. "Did you say Firestar?"

"Um, yes?" Vigilstorm tilted his head. "Have you… heard of him?"

Vinestar nodded. "He was one of ThunderClan's greatest leaders. He was our leader during the battle against BloodClan, the Great Journey, and the Great Battle. SkyClan legend says he restored their clan as well. He was a great cat. Did you receive a dream from him?"

Vigilstorm shook his head. "No. No, it was this other cat named Jayf- er… StarClan calls him the sharp-eyed jay. He didn't really tell me that much but I talked with some other StarClan cats during the half-moon and they made kind of a big deal out of it."

Vinestar's eyes glowed with interest. "The sharp-eyed jay? What did he say to you?"

"He gave me my name," Vigilstorm told him, "and he said something about how we had a similar past. He drew a couple of comparisons between us but I didn't understand what he was talking about. He mentioned some other cats but I have no clue who they could be or what they have to do with whatever he's up to. It's just been stressing me out for the past few days. Does any of that mean anything to you? Vinestar?"

"Vigilstorm, I'm about to tell you something not even Longberry knows," Vinestar told him, tone level and heavy. "This doesn't leave this den, you hear?"

Vigilstorm nodded, suddenly scared. "Of course."

"There's a message passed between clan leaders. It's so confidential that we don't even tell our deputies when we're alive," Vinestar began. His gaze shifted away from Vigilstorm, drifting into the distance. "Usually the previous clan leader tells the new clan leader after he or she dies."

"Why is it so secret?"

Vinestar shrugged. "I'm not completely sure but it's vital that every clan leader knows about it in case something goes wrong again."

"Again?" Vigilstorm echoed.

"Again." Vinestar nodded. "Tell me, have you ever heard of the Dark Forest?"

Vigilstorm shook his head. "I don't think so. What is that?"

"It's kind of like StarClan," Vinestar explained, "but at the same time, it's the total opposite. It's where the most evil cats and the warriors who committed the most unforgivable crimes against clankind go when they die. It's the worst punishment. There is no prey, no light, no stars, and they're meant to wander the forest alone for the rest of time."

"That sounds… horrible." It made sense though. He supposed that not all cats deserve to live an afterlife filled with sharing tongues, lounging, and hunting easy prey in Silverpelt. A life of solitude, an empty belly, and a shivering pelt was the perfect parallel.

Vinestar nodded in agreement. "It's not very often that cats end up in the Dark Forest."

"Do you think the Others are connected to the Dark Forest?"

"I don't know. If StarClan's suddenly worried about the old prophecy again, maybe…" Vinestar trailed off and shook out his pelt. "Anyway, many, many season cycles ago, Firestar was given a prophecy. It went like this: There will be three kin of your kin who will hold the power of the stars in their paws. Fire's glory and tiger's rage will never die and the end of the stars draws near. After the sharp-eyed jay and the roaring lion, peace will settle on the gentle dove's wing. There was a second part, supposedly, that included a Fourth cat."

"What was it?"

"There will be three cats, kin of your kin, with the power of the stars in their paws. They will find a fourth, and the battle between light and dark will be won. A new leader will rise from the shadows of his death, and the Clans will survive beyond the memories of his memories. This is how it has always been, and how it will always be."

Vigilstorm nodded thoughtfully. Impressive words. Humbling, in fact. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in an existential crisis though. He'd save that for the late, sleepless moments of the night. "But what does it have to do with me? The sharp-eyed jay said that he shared his power with me but I don't have any powers."

"Do you?"

Vigilstorm frowned. "I don't know. I don't think so. I don't want to."

"Really?" Vinestar sounded surprised.

"If the Four have been restored, doesn't that mean the "battle between light and dark" will start again?" Vigilstorm asked. He looked at his paws. "I don't know who the others could be but I know I'm not special. I don't even know if I believe cats can have powers."

Vinestar suddenly laughed. For a heartbeat, Vigilstorm was terrified that he was laughing at him but a quick glance told him that wasn't the case. "Don't let Wolfpaw hear you say that, Vigilstorm. He'll slap sense into you faster than any queen. You of all cats should understand StarClan's powers, Vigilstorm."

"Wait, does Wolfpaw have a strong connection with StarClan?" Vigilstorm asked, surprised that Vinestar decided to mention the young apprentice. Was Wolfpaw special? Was he one of the other prophesied cats? What if he was meant to be a medicine cat? Vigilstorm didn't think he was but what did he know? Vinestar knew better.

To his disappointment and relief, Vinestar shook his head. "No. Snaketail just tells me that he likes hearing stories about them, like how Roarpaw likes hearing about the Great Clans."

Vigilstorm sat down and wrapped his tail around his legs. "That's good, I suppose. But do you have any idea what cats in the clan could have powers?"

"Other than you? No," Vinestar told him. "And we don't even know if these cats are all in ThunderClan. The last time I think they all were but we haven't received a new prophecy since then so we don't really have any way of knowing, do we?"

Vigilstorm sighed. "No. We don't. But you'll keep your eyes open, won't you?"

Vinestar nodded. "Of course. If this is what it takes to drive out the Others and bring ShadowClan back, I'll do anything."

* * *

"Come on, Wolfpaw!" Snaketail called in encouragement. "Pin him!"

"You've almost got him, Roarpaw!" Patternheart called, bouncing on his paws. "I believe in you!"

Snaketail and Patternheart were standing at the edge of the training clearing while their apprentices wrestled in the middle. After nearly a moon of being stuck resting in his nest, Snaketail was happy to have finally returned to his warrior duties. His body still ached when he went on patrol and he had to take it easy when messing around with Wolfpaw but there was nothing like being able to stretch his muscles without Vigilstorm's watchful gaze on him. Oh, he still cared about his friend and respected him as a medicine cat but Snaketail thought he was worrying too much. He'd taken some bad hits in his fight with Lizard but he was fine.

Spending so long recovering in his nest had been painful. Patternheart and Snaketail got along just fine but they rubbed each other the wrong way and spending every heartbeat of every day with him had been a struggle of its own. Snaketail was thankful to not be as wounded as Longberry or Echopelt but if he had to be honest, he would much rather have spent that time with either of them. Longberry was more his type of cat and Snaketail respected Echopelt more than enough to put up with his occasional silliness. Not that he didn't respect Patternheart. He did. He was just kind of a lot sometimes.

But that was in the past. Snaketail was back to going on patrols and training his apprentice. Roarpaw and Wolfpaw more than deserved to get in some battle training. Snaketail had no idea how many times they had cleaned the camp or spent the entire day doing chores but he was grateful that they were mature enough to not complain much, at least around him anyway. Teaching them some new battle moves was the least he and Patternheart could do for them after waiting so long.

At the moment, Wolfpaw and Roarpaw were sparring. Snaketail knew his apprentice was good but he also knew that he wasn't winning this battle. Wolfpaw was strong but Roarpaw always bested him when they wrestled. The two were still grappling, claws sheathed, but Roarpaw almost had Wolfpaw pinned and Snaketail didn't think that Wolfpaw had the skill to escape the inevitable loss.

Wolfpaw's back was on the ground but his shoulders weren't quite pinned. Roarpaw was trying to push him down with one paw and battering his head with the other. Wolfpaw writhed under him, trying to throw off his balance, but Roarpaw's paws were firmly planted on either side. Wolfpaw's tail lashed behind him with concentration and he landed a few sharp blows on Roarpaw's face but his brother just shut his eyes and turned his head to avoid the worst of it.

Wolfpaw was fighting like a lion but it wasn't enough and Roarpaw managed to get his paws down on his chest and his teeth fixed loosely around his neck fur. His amber eyes glowed in victory. "Got you!"

Wolfpaw sighed in defeat and went limp. "Fine. Will you let me up?"

Roarpaw squirmed off him. When he did, Wolfpaw exploded upward and barreled into him before smacking him with his paw one last time. He grinned smugly while Roarpaw put his ears back in annoyance. "Hey! I won fair and square!"

"I know," Wolfpaw said, sliding off his brother. "I just wanted to do that."

"Alright, that's enough, 'paws," Patternheart said, padding forward. He looked to his apprentice. "Well done, Roarpaw. It's getting late and we should probably start heading on back to camp soon. Do you want to hunt first?"

Roarpaw nodded vigorously. "Yeah! I'm starving. I bet I'll catch more prey than you, Wolfpaw."

Wolfpaw purred but Snaketail noticed that it lacked its usual luster. "Not in your life!"

Snaketail shook out his pelt and beckoned Wolfpaw over with his tail. "Come on, Wolfpaw. Let's head over to the WindClan border and let Roarpaw and Patternheart have the forest. Maybe we'll see some rabbits."

"Sure," Wolfpaw said and quickly bounded after his mentor. Snaketail flicked his tail goodbye to Patternheart casually and led the pair back into the forest until the trees began thinning.

Snaketail leaped over the river that ran through the edge of ThunderClan territory, landing gracefully on the other side. Wolfpaw followed, falling just short and landing with a splash.

Snaketail took a step back to avoid getting water on his fur. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Wolfpaw said, stepping out of the river. "I just got my paws wet."

"I meant after the battle."

"With Roarpaw just now? Oh, I'm fine. It was just training. We would never hurt each other."

"I meant mentally. Emotionally," Snaketail sighed patiently. He turned his eyes to the WindClan border. There wasn't much space between the border and the river. In fact, he didn't know why the border was there at all. It made so much more sense for the river to just be the border but at least this way there was a chance rabbits could run across from the moorland onto land ThunderClan was allowed to hunt on. "You seemed kind of downtrodden after losing."

"Oh well…" Wolfpaw trailed off and shook his head. He sat down, keeping closer to the river. He sighed. "It's nothing."

"Don't lie to yourself," Snaketail grunted. "I've done more than my fair share of that in my day. What's bothering you?"

Wolfpaw looked down and shrugged. "I just… I don't really mind losing. I know that one of us has to lose, that's how a battle works, but I just want to win once, you know? I haven't beat Roarpaw once. Not even when we were kits."

"Really?" Snaketail reeled back slightly. Was that true? He tried to remember a single time that Wolfpaw pinned his brother down but he couldn't for the life of him. "You're a strong fighter, Wolfpaw. Roarpaw's got a bit of size on you but you know the techniques better than he does. It's just bad luck, 'paw."

"In a real battle, luck doesn't matter. Winning does and it doesn't matter if I know what I'm doing if I can't beat the other cat," Wolfpaw pointed out.

Snaketail breathed out through his nose. Encouragement was not his strong suit and Wolfpaw was a skilled apprentice. He'd hoped that he could put off a talk like this for a while. "Wolfpaw, I honestly believe you're on your way to becoming a great warrior. You've got cunning and you fight harder than any cat I've seen. When Roarpaw had you pinned, you didn't let yourself go down. You kept fighting and that's the kind of spirit ThunderClan needs in a warrior. Yes, Roarpaw does win a lot. He's got this ability to turn a losing battle around in his favor. I don't understand it and there's nothing you can do about it. Don't compare yourself to your brother. You've both got different strengths and it will always be like that. Roarpaw may be a natural at battle but you're a better hunter and you've got better work ethic."

"I guess," Wolfpaw sighed. He paused for a moment. "Hey, why is that? You and Patternheart are both good hunters but you're a better fighter and Patternheart's better at more domestic stuff. How'd Roarpaw and I end up switched?"

Snaketail flicked a leaf that was stuck in Wolfpaw's fur away with his tail. "I think you take after me a bit more than Patternheart. Same with Roarpaw. Vinestar choose Patternheart as his mentor for a reason."

"Really? Why?"

"Patternheart's got this glow to him. This aura, this bounce in his step. Roarpaw's got it too. They've both got big hearts and run around with their heads in the clouds. Patternheart knows how to ground himself and put all that… cheerfulness to good use. He's got the paws to shape Roarpaw into a good warrior."

"Okay. I get that. But what about you? I don't see any of you in me."

"Like I said, you work hard. I had a lot of trouble as an apprentice myself but I worked hard to get to where I am and I see the same in you," Snaketail told him. "I know I work and think different from other cats and you do too. We're both wiry and fast and clever and that's what makes us strong. I know I have what it takes to make you the best warrior you can be."

"Really?" Wolfpaw asked. He flattened his ears and his expression turned sour. "You better not tell me to believe in myself."

Snaketail laughed and shook his head. "No. I'm not Patternheart."

"Good," Wolfpaw purred. "I don't think I could handle two of him. I mean, I love him but one Patternheart is enough."

"You could say that again," Snaketail joked. He glanced out at the horizon again. He could see a few rabbits on the moorland and his legs begged him to run out after them but he held still, not daring to cross the border. "We should keep an eye on those rabbits in case they run over here. We can afford to go back empty pawed but I'd rather not- Wolfpaw?"

Wolfpaw was facing the other direction, staring at the river. Snaketail opened his mouth to ask what he was doing when he saw a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. Before he could even begin to figure out what it was, Wolfpaw was in the water.

Snaketail jumped to his paws, startled. "Wolfpaw!"

He heard splashing and there was water in the air, obstructing his view. All he could see was a russet pelt thrashing in the water. Alarm seized Snaketail and a thousand fears hit him at once. Was there some kind of predator in the water that had grabbed his apprentice? It was greenleaf so the river couldn't be that deep but he hadn't checked. Was there any risk of Wolfpaw drowning? What if it was nothing and Wolfpaw just lost it and decided to throw himself into the river?

Snaketail's panic was interrupted by a laugh. "Snaketail! Look what I caught!"

Snaketail blinked a few times and realized that Wolfpaw was standing in the river. It was almost at his shoulders, a bit higher than he would've liked but at least there was no risk of drowning. Relief washed over him and Snaketail's thoughts drifted for a few heartbeats, recovering from his shock. Then he saw it.

"Great StarClan, is that a fish?"

Wolfpaw looked up at him, green eyes glowing with pride and a massive fish writhing in his jaws.

* * *

Carrying a fish was not as easy as it looked, Wolfpaw realized. Not that he'd ever seen a cat carry a fish before. He wasn't even sure if he'd seen a fish before today. He knew what it was but he couldn't recall what it tasted like or what its meat was like. He just knew it was heavier than it looked for some reason. It was fatter than a squirrel or hare so Wolfpaw supposed it made sense. Snaketail had offered to help him but the older tom had caught a rabbit himself and Wolfpaw thought he could manage. His jaw and neck might be a bit sore later but it was completely worth it to see the look on Roarpaw's face when the group met back up in the training clearing.

"Wow!" Roarpaw exclaimed, dropping the pair of mice he was carrying, when he saw Wolfpaw and Snaketail pad into the clearing. "That thing is huge! Did you really catch that, Wolfpaw?"

Snaketail nodded as Wolfpaw set the fish down. "Yup. All on his own. I didn't even see it and he was suddenly in the river. It scared the stars out of me but it was the best catch I've seen in a long time."

"And all we caught were a couple of mice, a pigeon, and a lizard," Patternheart said, eyeing the other pair's catches with an impressed look. "Amazing job you two!"

"You caught a lizard?" Wolfpaw asked. That was kind of awesome. He thought the fish was cool but all he really did was jump on it. Catching a lizard sounded so much harder.

"Patternheart caught it," Roarpaw told him. He looked down. "He said there was another one right in front of me but I didn't see it."

"Don't fret over lost prey, 'paw," Patternheart told him. "Though I am kind of surprised that you missed it. It got so close. I can't believe you didn't hear it."

"They're so small! How could you expect me to hear them? What do lizards even sound like? They don't make any noise," Roarpaw grumbled.

"Their feet make that weird sticky noise. Like, whenever they take a step, it sounds like they're slapping the dirt or a rock or whatever they're standing out. It's a really distinct sound," Patternheart insisted. He glanced over to his fellow warrior. "You know what I'm talking about, right Snaktail?"

Snaketail shook his head. "I think you've got bees in your brain. You're always hearing things, Patternheart. Lizards make about as much noise as fish."

"Actually, fish live in the water so they splash and stuff which is a lot louder than a lizard," Wolfpaw pointed out.

Snaketail rolled his eyes. "Whatever, furball. Let's get this prey back to camp and on the fresh-kill pile. I'm sure everyone will want to hear how you caught that fish. ThunderClan doesn't get fish on the fresh-kill pile all that often. It was a great catch. Unless one of the elders or queens asks for it, you get the first bite, alright? You deserve it."

Wolfpaw swallowed a purr at the praise. He may not be able to beat Roarpaw in a fight but if today proved anything, it was that Wolfpaw could be special too.


	9. Friends On the Other Side

This place was… weird. It was dark and there were shadows even though there was no moon or even stars in the night sky to shine down through the opening in the canopies. The trees were tall and twisted, blocking the view of the distance, and their scent made the air smell putrid. It was somehow damp and dry at the same time yet it also smelled like twoleg waste and rotting prey. Cobwebs clung to tree branches and the sharp, chilling wind sounded like wolves' howls in the trees. Or maybe those were actual cat yowls in the distance. With how creepy this place was, it was impossible to tell.

Wolfpaw loved it.

The russet tom charged around the strange forest, inhaling the terrible scent like it was the last thing he'd ever smell and checking out every nook and cranny. To his disappointment, he didn't find any beetles or even what the scent was coming from but it was still exciting. Roarpaw could stuff it with his boring stories of scaling mountains and fighting badgers. This was what adventure was!

"Wolfpaw," an ominous voice whispered to him. Wolfpaw sat up from where he was scraping at a root and looked around for its source. "We've been watching you for sometime. Your brother doesn't deserve all the attention the stars have been giving him when you're- Oh by the shadows. What are you doing? Get that out of your mouth! Ew, what is that? Are you eating dirt?! Spit that out!"

Wolfpaw would have laughed at the other cat's sudden loss of his intimidating demeanor if not for the fact he was trying to ruin his fun. He put his ears back and hissed. "No! Get your own!"

He didn't recognize the other cat. He was a tom, dark furred, with criss cross scars running down his pelt but that wasn't what caught Wolfpaw's eye.

"I don't want my own! That's disgusting. Why are you- You know what? Nevermind. You'll fit right in here," the cat said with mock cheer before grumbling something unintelligible to himself.

Wolfpaw spat the dirt out in favor of running up to the other cat, coiling around him with interest. "Why's your pelt so faded? That's so cool. I can see right through you. It's like you're barely there."

Wolfpaw lifted a paw to see if he could stick it through the other cat but the tom batted it away. "Hey! Don't do that! Don't you have any manners? Don't you know it's rude to talk about someone's transparency? I didn't choose to fade, you know."

"Really? Why not? It looks so cool. You're like a ghost."

"That's because I am a- Nevermind. Normally for these first introductions, we slink in all cool-like and intimidating but you killed my vibe. My name is Shredtail. And, no, my tail is fine so don't even think about batting it so find out."

"I wasn't going to bat it," Wolfpaw pouted. He was going to put it in his mouth. This was the best dream he'd ever had! There were all these weird scents and spooky trees and now there was a ghost? He couldn't wait to wake up and tell Roarpaw about it. Or maybe not. Roarpaw wouldn't appreciate it the same way he did. He'd probably call him weird. Maybe Vigilstorm then. He liked this kind of thing, right? He always had his nose in those stinky herbs and he had spiders in his den now. This seemed like something he'd find interesting. And he was a medicine cat so dreams and stuff were his thing, right?

"Oh my… How did I end up with this one?" Shredtail sighed. He cleared his throat. "As I was saying, Wolfpaw, you're special but not every cat sees it, right? You want to be recognized?"

Wolfpaw nodded. "Yeah. How'd you know? I love it when cats look at me. Roarpaw does too. I'm going to be an awesome warrior someday."

"Yes… Yes! You are," the ghost cat said, nodding. "But do you know what's preventing that?"

Wolfpaw paused. "Um… Because I'm still an apprentice?"

"No! Well, yes but not what I was going for," Shredtail responded. "I was talking about your brother."

"My brother?"

"Yes. Your brother."

"What'd Roarpaw do? Oh, is he here? Because that would be awesome. He's usually not in my dreams. He says in his dreams we go on adventures all the time but Roarpaw's never in any of my fun dreams, only the weird ones that don't make any sense."

"No, Roarpaw isn't here because I'm here," Shredtail exasperated.

"You can have more than one cat in a dream. There's not really a limit."

Shredtail turned around so he wasn't facing the younger tom and sighed again. "Come on, Shredtail. You can do this."

"Hey, don't talk to yourself. That's weird. Stop. This is my dream."

Shredtail turned back around. "This isn't actually your dream. I brought you here. I'm one of your warrior ancestors."

"No, you're not."

Shredtail's annoyed expression became confused. "What? You don't believe me? Why? When I was alive and some cat visited me like this and told me he was one of my warrior ancestors, I believed him in a heartbeat."

"Well, that's weird. Don't do that. Dapplefoot always tells me not to trust strange cats. I don't really know why but it's good advice."

Shredtail shook his head. "Why are you like this?"

"Why are you like that?" Wolfpaw asked, flicking a disapproving gaze at the ghost cat. "You say you're a StarClan cat and you don't even have any stars in your fur! Every cat knows StarClan cats have stars in their fur!"

"Hey! I didn't say I was a St- er… We don't use that word here. I'm not one of them so I don't have stars in my pelt."

"But you just said-"

"Not all of your warrior ancestors live in Silverpelt," Shredtail told him. "Don't you think Silverpelt would get full after a while?"

"I guess," Wolfpaw mumbled, scraping the barren earth with one paw. This dream was getting a lot less fun. This ghost cat wasn't really going along with all the other cool stuff in the forest. "So… ghost cat, why are you visiting me? Don't you guys usually only visit medicine cats?"

Shredtail waved his tail proudly. "Oh, my friends and I don't visit medicine cats. We only appear in the dreams of young warriors like yourself."

"Oh. That makes sense." No, it didn't. It made no sense. Wolfpaw tried to keep his brow from furrowing with confusion. "So…?"

"I want to make you stronger. You're a cat with a lot of potential. Your brother doesn't deserve all the glory."

"Yes he does?" Wolfpaw tilted his head, confused. No, he was more than confused. He was… He was… He didn't know any words that meant more than confused. Longberry would be able to tell him but he wasn't here. Roarpaw repeated stuff Longberry said sometimes though… What was a word he would use? Baffled? Perplexed? Bewildered? He didn't know. Patterheart was better at saying things he understood and Patternheart would just say he was very, very confused. "If Roarpaw does something and he gets praised for it, he deserves it. That's how getting praised works. It's cause and effect… You were a warrior. Did you not learn that when you were alive?"

"No, I- Yes! Of course I understand how that works! By the shadows…" Shredtail groaned and part of Wolfpaw wanted to grin. He settled for curling his tail. This was fun! He loved messing with other cats but he never wanted them to get mad at him so he usually withheld. But there were no consequences in dreams, right?

Of course, Shredtail was an actual cat, not someone his mind made up. Wolfpaw didn't really care if he didn't like him though. He didn't like Shredtail himself. If he walked away and disappeared forever, he wouldn't miss him in the slightest.

Shredtail cleared his throat and shook his pelt before speaking in a much softer tone. "What I was trying to say was that we can make you stronger."

Wolfpaw looked at him doubtfully. He opened his mouth to speak then closed it. He was sure Shredtail didn't care whatever he wanted to say. Maybe if he just ignored him he'd go away and he could go back to running around this wonderful forest. The wind had changed direction and the darkened oak leaves were shaking violently. Wolfpaw wanted nothing more than to run off and watch them fall.

"Okay, I give up," Shredtail said, turning around. He beckoned Wolfpaw with his tail. "Come on."

Wolfpaw followed him out of the clearing. "Where are we going?"

"I just want to show you something."

Wolfpaw kept pressing but Shredtail didn't answer any of his questions. Wolfpaw considered running off on his own but he thought he may as well see what Shredtail wanted to show him. He kept his ears pricked, keeping his ears open for any sounds that indicated what lay up ahead. Oh StarClan, he hoped it was a carrionplace. He'd heard about them in one of Thymestalk's stories and he'd wanted to see one since he was a kit. It fit with this dream forest's theme but he doubted Shredtail had any appreciation for this forest. To Wolfpaw, it was art but he was pretty sure Shredtail just saw it as a dark forest.

After a while, Wolfpaw was about to question his guide but he heard voices in the distance before he had the chance. He looked up at Shredtail questioningly but the tom merely stopped and stared at him. He angled his ears ahead, prompting Wolfpaw to push past the undergrowth and move on ahead.

Wolfpaw padded forward curiously and broke into a clearing where he saw the last cat he expected to see.

"Leave me alone!" Snaketail was hissing. An orange and black tom sat in front of him, looking smug and completely unaffected by the fact that the leaner tom was snarling at him. "I told you seasons ago that I. Don't. Want. To. Be. Here. When will you get it through your thick skull that-?"

"Seriously? Can't anything go right tonight?" Shredtail groaned loudly, barging into the clearing with pawsteps that could cause a rock slide. "We were supposed to show Wolfpaw here how great the Dark Forest is but you two just ruined it."

"Pretty sure you ruined it when you told me to spit that dirt out," Wolfpaw mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Wolfpaw?" Snaketail questioned. He took a few hesitant steps forward before breaking into a run and rushing to his side. "Wolfpaw! What are you doing here?"

Wolfpaw shrugged. "I don't know. I was having a great time until this cat started bothering me."

Snaketail sighed before hissing at Shredtail. "Why did you bring him here? He shouldn't be here."

Shredtail flicked his ear in disinterest. "Hey, it wasn't my idea. Ask Ripplestar why he thought it was a good idea. I wasn't completely okay with it when he came to me and then I met this little furball and now I'm completely not okay with it. He's so annoying."

"Thank you."

"That was not a compliment."

"I know."

"See?" Shredtail sighed, raising an eyebrow at the cat Wolfpaw assumed was Ripplestar. "Can we just ignore this one? We've already got Snaketail. We don't need both of them."

"No. We can't afford to get you know who to get their paws on him," Ripplestar responded.

"Who is you know who?" Wolfpaw asked, glancing between the two. "Because I don't know who."

"You know who is StarClan," Snaketail told him. "They don't like saying their name here."

"Really? Why?"

Ripplestar and Shredtail were ignoring them. Ripplestar, fed up with Shredtail's complaints, had begun pacing around the group. "The Dark Forest will reclaim what is rightfully ours. We'll need the best clan cats we can get our paws on and these two are so close to the Four."

"I mean, yeah," Shredtail agreed, "but isn't Snaketail enough?"

"You know how stubborn he is. We need some new, young blood around here."

"True but does it have to be him though?"

Snaketail seemed to realize that the pair was ignoring him so he turned his attention to Wolfpaw, shouldering him away from the ghost cats. "Wolfpaw, you shouldn't be here."

"I gathered that," Wolfpaw responded, still confused. "Why are you here then?"

"I don't want to be here. When I was an apprentice, Ripplestar visited me in a dream and asked me if I wanted him to train me. I was a mousebrain back then and I said yes," Snaketail explained. "I haven't been able to lea-"

"Wait, is that why you're such a great fighter?"

"What? No! All the Dark Forest cats fight with power, weight, and good aim. I fight with speed and precision. You've seen me fight. It's totally different," Snaketail responded, almost defensive. He sighed. "Wolfpaw, really, you shouldn't be here. This is a bad place. The cats here, there's something wrong with them."

"Well, if we're here-"

"No. No! No. There's nothing wrong with either of us," Snaketail insisted. His yellow eyes were pleading. "Wolfpaw, you need to leave this place."

"This is a dream. I can't exactly decide when I wake up. And I like it here. It smells nice."

Snaketail wrinkled his nose, clearly disagreeing, but didn't comment on it. "Wolfpaw-"

"If they're just trying to train us, what's the harm in that?" Wolfpaw asked. "I mean, I like training with you and I think you're a great mentor but if we can train while we're asleep-"

"It's wrong, that's what," Snaketail interrupted. He crouched a bit, making sure his eyes locked with Wolfpaw's. "Wolfpaw, promise me-"

Wolfpaw didn't get a chance to respond. Sharp teeth clasped around his scruff and he was suddenly being dragged across the clearing. He started struggling. "Hey! Let me go!"

Shredtail ignored him and began pulling him towards the trees. "You heard him, Snaketail. We're just giving him some extra training time."

"You foxheart!" Snaketail snarled, yellow eyes alight with hot fury that Wolfpaw never expected to see in his mentor. Snaketail lunged but Ripplestar stepped in front of him, stopping him in his path. Snaketail's features became desperate as he yowled, "Wolfpaw!"

Wolfpaw couldn't stop the feeling of guilt welling up in him from crashing down as Shredtail pulled him into the forest, the shadows enveloping him and blocking him from Snaketail's sight.

* * *

Longberry was lazing beneath the highrock. It was a good place for sunning and he hoped the heat would soothe his aching muscles. He felt stiff from lying still for so long but Vigilstorm said that he had to take it easy or he would tear his wounds and make them worse. As frustrating as it was, Longberry knew he had to heed his medicine cat's warning. Medicine cats knew best, afterall.

Longberry was hoping Vigilstorm would let him go to the Gathering in a couple sunrises. Longberry had heard no news of SkyClan or the Others and he felt that he deserved to be there when Lizard took Beanstar's place on the oak. He nearly died securing this meeting and Longberry desperately wanted to know what would come of it. Why was she there? What happened to ShadowClan? Where had all these cats come from? He didn't like not knowing. Knowledge was power and that last fight left him feeling pretty weak.

Longberry would have loved to spend some more time pondering but all good things must come to an end. Longberry heard pawsteps and looked up to see his friend Snaketail running toward him, stirrings of fear in his eyes. Longberry sighed and sat up, knowing what was coming. "What is it?"

"Longberry, I have a problem."

"You mean how you lie to yourself to make yourself feel better? We all know about that."

"What? No! I don't do that," Snaketail said defensively. Longbery gave him a deadpan stare and Snaketail gave his chest fur a few embarrassed licks. "Okay, maybe I did that in the past but everyone does that and I'm a very honest cat otherwise so it all kind of evens out."

Longberry tipped his head and hummed in disagreement. Snaketail scowled and opened his mouth to argue only to remember something. He waved his tail, letting Longberry know he was here to talk about something else.

"When I said I have a problem, I meant I did something stupid."

"Oh StarClan, did you get some poor she-cat pregnant?"

Snaketail peered at him. "What? No! I'd be the last cat to do that. You know I… Nevermind. Listen, Longberry. Listen! Longberry, are you listening?"

"Purposefully pestering me to make a point won't prove-"

"Longberry! Listen!"

Longberry sighed. "You're acting like a kit."

"I'm stressed, okay?" Snaketail snapped. He took a deep breath, calming himself. "I'm sorry, Longberry. Really. I'm just… kind of high strung."

"I understand." No, he didn't. Longberry didn't understand why cats acted like they did in the slightest. It was so bizarre. "What happened? Start at the beginning."

"So you remember when I was an apprentice and-"

"When I said start at the beginning, I didn't mean that far b-"

"Don't interrupt me. This part is important," Snaketail said, pawing the ground in frustration. Longberry felt a stab of guilt. His friend was clearly distressed and he was doing nothing to help. He dipped his head apologetically and prompted Snaketail to continue. Snaketail sighed and looked at him tiredly. "So you remember when I was an apprentice and I'd always wake up with injuries?"

"Yes," Longberry said. He'd assumed for a long time that Snaketail was just bad at picking thorns out of his bedding and slept on them all night but the wounds were too deep for that to be the case. "Are you finally going to admit that you used to sneak out of the camp at night and got into fights with rogues at the border? I must admit, it was foolish but it made you a great warrior. Is Wolfpaw doing that?"

"Yes. No. Definitely no. I did not do that and Wolfpaw isn't either. This does have to do with him though." Snaketail shook his head and then his pelt. "I did train at night though during the later moons of my apprenticeship. I would sometimes go out to that clearing around that old birch but before that, I did something a lot worse than sneak out of camp without permission."

"What is it then?" Longberry asked, curious. For once, he didn't have any theories or guesses as to what Snaketail could be talking about.

Snaketail took a deep breath. "When I was an apprentice, this cat visited me in my dreams, telling me that he could make me a great warrior. He trained me and- No. No, Longberry. I know that look. Ripplestar did not make me into the warrior I am today so don't ask. He trained me, yes, but not for very long. Going to the Dark Forest made me feel weird and the cats there were so vicious and I realized that being around them was making me a worse version of myself so I started training at night so I wouldn't have to go to sleep at night and see them."

"And these Dark Forest cats are interested in Wolfpaw now?" Longberry inquired.

Snaketail nodded and opened his maw to speak but a thud sounded beside them and Snaketail jumped back, giving a yowl of alarm. "Great StarClan!"

Longberry glanced over his shoulder to see that Vinestar had dropped off his resting place atop the highrock to join them. He smiled at his leader and dipped his head respectfully. "Hello, Vinestar."

"Hey, Longberry," Vinestar greeted before looking at Snaketail. "Did you say Dark Forest?"

Snaketail swallowed and pulled himself together, regaining his composure. "I did. Why? Have you heard of them?"

"Yes. Vigilstorm was just asking about them the other day," Vinestar told them before pausing thoughtfully. "Actually, no he wasn't. He was just asking about something very related to the Dark Forest but that's beside the point. You said that you know of them?"

Snaketail nodded. "You overheard?"

Vinestar blinked apologetically and nodded. "I'd say I'm sorry but I'm not."

"I understand."

"You need to keep Wolfpaw away from them at all costs."

"I know," Snaketail sighed. "When I saw him last night, he didn't seem completely on board or off board with the idea of training but Shredtail didn't really give him a choice."

"Well, training or not, the choice is in his paws," Longberry pointed out, blinking a few times. He didn't quite understand Snaketail and Vinestar's concern. Longberry didn't exactly have the strongest faith but he had no downsides to receiving dreams from the stars and if there were any, it was just a dream. Couldn't Snaketail and Wolfpaw just use some of that old stubbornness and get out of it? "This Shredtail cat can't force him to train so Wolfpaw is still in control of the matter. If they ask him to train, he could just dig his paws into the ground and refuse. We just need to convince him-"

"No, you don't understand. These cats… They're cruel. They'll just hurt him if he doesn't agree to do what they want," Snaketail said sadly. He looked away. "This is my fault. If anything happens to him…"

Vinestar took a step forward and lapped the side of Snaketail's face. "Hey, don't talk like that. This is no one's fault but the Dark Forest. Did you talk to Wolfpaw? What does he think of this?"

"I tried talking to him but he just told me to forget about it," Snaketail sighed, looking down at his paws. "I didn't want to pressure him into doing anything he doesn't want to or somehow make the situation worse. We're just pretending like nothing happened."

Longberry frowned. He didn't like the sound of that. Repression rarely worked. In fact, it usually made problems worse.

Vinestar sighed and rested a tail tip on Snaketail's shoulder. "Tell Vigilstorm. I don't know what he can do but if any cat can help Wolfpaw, it's him."

* * *

Vigilstorm was exhausted when he fell asleep. Snaketail had come to him earlier that day and frantically explained the… less than ideal situation he and Wolfpaw were in and frankly, Vigilstorm wished he hadn't. Anxiety wracked his body, making him unproductive for most of the evening and thus making him stay up later than usual sorting herbs. It was well past moonhigh when he went to his nest. Not that he wasn't normally awake at moonhigh, he often was. He was usually just awake in his nest when it happened. Sleep never came easy to him.

When Vigilstorm opened his eyes, he was back in the mist facing a familiar blue eyed tom. Vigilstorm didn't know whether he should purr or take a step back. He wanted to be here with Jayfeather but at the same time, he knew that whatever he learned tonight was just going to give him a headache in the morning.

"It's about time, featherbrain," Jayfeather grunted, rising to his paws to pace. Vigilstorm wished that he wouldn't. He didn't need anything more to make him stressed. "Now that wasn't really so hard to do, now was it?"

"Do what?" Vigilstorm asked with a bewildered stare.

Jayfeather paused to frown at him. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"How you got here," Jayfeather responded and resumed his pacing. Vigilstorm blinked innocently. Jayfeather tossed his head and snorted. "Oh, that's cute. I figured out our powers when I was an apprentice. With you being… you, I thought you'd have figured it out a long time ago."

Vigilstorm frowned. "I don't have any powers. I'm not special. I'm just an anxious medicine cat who has strange dreams and never sleeps because of this weird voice in his head telling him something's wrong."

"That's it."

"What's it?"

"That! Well, not quite." Jayfeather sat in front of him. "The power of the sharp-eyed jay is the power of the mind. You can walk dream as you please, you can hear other cats' thoughts, you can pick up on other cats' emotions. Why do you think you have such a hard time being around other cats? And sleeping? And why you think so poorly of yourself? Well, not the last one. Other cats aren't actually thinking those things. It's your own mind coming up with all those… darker thoughts. I had the same problem though. I think it has something to do with the split soul but I'm not really sure. It went away when I died."

"Um… Okay?" That wasn't what Vigilstorm expected. When he heard the word powers, he wasn't really sure what he'd been expecting but this was a welcome surprise. Dreamwalking he could handle. He never did it so there was no harm in having the power, right? The mind and emotion reading was less than ideal but apparently he'd been dealing with it all his life. It was far from pleasant but it was tolerable.

"Anyway," Jayfeather said in a manner that reminded Vigilstorm of Rushstalk, "you dreamed your way here for a reason, right? You heard about the Dark Forest."

Vigilstorm nodded. "They're planning something new."

Jayfeather snorted. "It's far from new. It's just another Dovewing-Ivypool situation."

"... Dovewing-Ivypool situation?"

Jayfeather waved his tail. "You had to be there for it to make sense. You need to hurry it up though."

"Hurry what up?"

"Finding the other cats in the prophecy." Jayfeather sighed like he was exasperated. "By the stars, now I understand why StarClan cats acted like they were annoyed with me all the time. It's so weird talking to a cat who's never read the stars. It's like talking to a slug."

Vigilstorm didn't know if he should be offended or not. "How am I supposed to find the others?"

Jayfeather shrugged. "You'll just know. Focus on finding the Three and you'll find the Fourth pretty easily."

"And how do you expect me to find the other two?"

"It's not hard to find cats with powers," Jayfeather told him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Vigilstorm was starting to get annoyed with him. He was acting a bit more aloof than he thought a StarClan cat should. "You've found the sharp-eyed jay. You're looking for the roaring lion and the gentle dove. The roaring lion is invincible in battle. He can't be beaten. The gentle dove is, well, gentle. She- um, he- can hear anything. Distance doesn't matter."

"Oh." That was nice to know. Somehow, the idea that one of these cats could control lightning had gotten into his head. He was more than happy that wasn't the case. "Why can't you tell me their names?"

"Because I don't know them," Jayfeather told him with a shrug. "My friends picked them so they know them, not me. I have a general idea but I don't want to lead you on. I know better than any cat that it can be annoying when StarClan's vague but I really think you should figure this one out for yourself."

"Okay," Vigilstorm sighed. He didn't like it but he understood. He needed to find his fellow prophesied cats on his own. It was part of his destiny.

"And Vigilstorm?"

"Yes."

"Remember."

"Remember what?"

_"One was four and four was one. The sharp eyed jay, the roaring lion, the gentle dove, and the great fire's reign has ended. Now comes the rise of new heirs. Vigilance, bravery, love, and intellect seize power of time passed. Light will overcome darkness..."_


	10. Darkness Deserves a Grand Entrance

Longberry pawed the ground, agitated and restless energy bleeding into his stiff muscles. His paws brought up chunks of loose earth that got caught in his short fur and between his claws but he didn't care enough to notice. He just remained sitting tall with his eyes fixed on the island bridge, the bank, and the moor in the distance.

It was the night of the full moon and ThunderClan, SkyClan, RiverClan, and WindClan were waiting for their invitees. For once, the tension between clans had died and the energy lingering among the cats was nothing more than a soft hum of nervousness. The clans have been at peace for the most part for the past few seasons thanks to the efforts of their mediator so these Gatherings weren't particularly tense in general but tonight, it felt like the four clans were one. They were unified by one shared feeling, one shared fear. It was left unsaid but there was a mutual understanding that the clans would stand together if it came down to it. Longberry was proud to be among those cats.

Snaketail, Redpath, Patternheart, Rushstalk, and Echopelt sat close around Longberry in place of the usual deputies. WindClan and RiverClan's deputies were nearby but they'd taken a step back in favor of letting the patrol who had invaded ShadowClan territory sit closer to the great oak's base. Longberry noticed a distinct lack of the SkyClan cats who'd been part of the patrol but Redpath assured him that they were fine when the ThunderClan warriors asked. Apparently Longear insisted that they rest tonight.

Vigilstorm was hesitant to let Longberry and Echopelt leave the camp as well but the two had argued with him and battered him with endless promises to be careful until the medicine cat gave in. Longberry understood where Vigilstorm was coming from, he really did. Longberry hadn't received many deep wounds like Echopelt- in fact, Rushstalk's flank wound was worse than any of Longberry's injuries- but Longberry had the bad luck of taking more hits in unfortunate places. His shoulder and one of his thighs had been jarred badly and even now, a jolt of pain shot up his limbs anytime he moved but Longberry thought that it was worth it. He may have to rest for another moon after this but at least he was here. He had to hear firstpaw what the leader of the Others had to say.

"Ugh. If those trashpelts don't show up soon, I'm going to start something," Rushstalk complained, lashing his long tail. He glanced at the others. "Any of you see anything yet?"

Longberry thought he could hear Patternheart murmur something under his breath but the noise of soft conversation on the island drowned it out so Longberry decided to ignore it and shake his head. "Just be patient, Rushstalk."

Rushstalk tilted his head down and gave Rushstalk a baffled, deadpan stare. "You do know who you're talking to, right Lolo?"

"Don't call me that."

Rushstalk smirked and waved his tail victoriously. "You know you love me."

"Stop. Why are you like this?"

Rushtalk shrugged and yawned loudly, curling his tongue and flashing his fangs, but didn't continue.

"Should we really be waiting?" Snaketail questioned, watching Rushstalk as he settled down and put his head on his paws. Snaketail looked ever so slightly annoyed but Longberry was almost positive Snaketail was used to Rushstalk's antics. "We have no reason to trust their word. They could-"

"They're coming," Patternheart interrupted, eyes trained on the distance. "They're going to show up on that ridge in just a few heartbeats. Watch."

Redpath opened his mouth to question him but Rushstalk sat up abruptly, cutting him off. "Hey! I see them. Great StarClan, that's a lot of cats. Did Lizard bring her whole clan? Er, group?"

"Vinestar," Longberry called up to his leader.

Vinestar looked down from his leader's place on the great oak overlooking the clearing. "I see them, Longberry. Thanks."

The faint conversation floating among the island cats died and dozens of pairs of eyes focused on the approaching mass on the mainland. In the moonlight, the Others looked more like shadow creatures slinking through the night than actual cats. Longberry felt Patternheart shiver beside him. He put a tail tip on the other tom's shoulder, silently telling him everything would be fine.

The cats eventually came upon the tree bridge. A ginger form led them, leaping onto the fallen trunk without hesitation and crossing with the confidence of a fox trotting through a forest marked as his own. More cats followed close behind and the ginger cat jumped neatly off the bridge onto the island.

The Gathering was silent as the cat pushed her way to the oak, the black and white tom and the orange tabby close behind her. Briefly, the ginger she-cat paused and let her green gaze linger on Longberry and Snaketail. Snaketail's lip peeled back but he had enough self control to prevent a snarl from escaping. Longberry merely narrowed his eyes and greeted her with a curt nod. "Lizard."

"Warrior," she responded before turning away and leaping onto the great oak, taking Beanstar's place among the clan leaders.

Redpath looked like he wanted to protest. His sour expression was shared by Echopelt and Rushstalk but no cat said anything. Lizard didn't deserve to stand where Beanstar stood but there was little they could do without making it worse. The situation was fragile, they all knew that. Longberry hoped that the clans would walk away tonight without injury. Even if these cats weren't clan cats, they stood under StarClan's starlight tonight and therefore the rules of a Gathering applied. No fighting.

No cat spoke. Not the leaders, not the Others, not the deputies, not the patrol, not the warriors, not the medicine cats. Even the apprentices and elders were silent. If kits could attend the Gathering, Longberry was sure even they would be quiet. Longberry swallowed and leaned uncomfortably from side to side, unable to keep still in the awkward atmosphere. His throat itched, urging him to break the silence with a cough. Just a cough. Nothing important. But he didn't give in. He wasn't a clan leader, he had no right to speak right now.

Finally, Valorstar got fed up with the lack of action and growled. "You and your cats dare take ShadowClan's place?"

Lizard flicked her ear in passive disinterest. "I was invited after SkyClan and ThunderClan attacked my cats on my territory."

"You weren't invited to drive ShadowClan out of its home," Talonstar growled under their breath but Lizard ignored them with a bored flick of her ear.

"You attacked and killed our warriors, medicine cats, and mediator when they came to you in peace," Terrainstar spoke evenly, voice betraying nothing. His yellow eyes were narrowed and his body was tense with incredible restraint. Vinestar… not so much.

"You killed Frostbark," Vinestar growled, tearing tree bark off the oak with one paw, "and several ThunderClan and SkyClan warriors. You may not follow our code but in the clans, your actions are unforgivable."

"I have no interest in getting forgiveness," Lizard said, tone light and almost mocking.

"Then why are you here?"

"The Others are taking ShadowClan's place around the lake," Lizard stated, leaning forward and digging her claws into the tree bark. "That's all for now."

"You can't do that," Talonstar hissed, the hostility reflected in their black eyes spiking sharply. Longberry felt some cat nearby flinch. All the clan leaders at the moment were kind, likeable cats but they could all fight and roar like LionClan warriors. Longberry didn't know if he'd ever seen Talonstar this angry. He couldn't say he liked it. Like their namesake, they looked ready to cause some damage.

"Can't I?"

"The clans are bound by a code. We will stand together if you stand against us," Talonstar said sharply. "You may have a lot of cats but you're not invincible. Four clans united would crush you."

"Oh, I know," Lizard said, flicking her tail. "We twolegplace cats are no warriors. We're strong and we've can stomach what clan cats can't but I'm well aware that the way of the warrior has been going on long enough to give you clan cats the edge on us. Doesn't mean that a battle wouldn't hurt both sides."

Longberry flattened his ears. Lizard had a point. The twolegplace cats weren't the best fighters but they were vicious. Longberry and Snaketail had such a hard time fighting Lizard not because of her skill but her size, strength, willingness to fight dirty, and unwavering will to keep fighting. She was stubborn and would not go down easily. Longberry had been too focused on her to see any of the other fights but he thought it was safe to say that all of the Others shared these qualities. A battle between the Others and the remaining four clans would leave both sides bloodied and battered. The clans would probably win but at what cost?

Just one patrol had lost five cats. Granted, they were outnumbered but the Others hadn't been fighting their hardest. They had what it took to cause a lot more damage. Longberry wanted the Others gone as much as the next cat but he was a cat of reason and logic. Logic and reason said that a battle wouldn't be worth it. Compromise was always less than ideal but in this case, the clans and the Others might be able to reach a mutual understanding of self-preservation and agree to stay away from each other.

Longberry looked to his leader, trying to figure out what Vinestar was thinking. Vinestar was a great leader but he led with his heart, not his head. He was far from a mousebrain by any means but Longberry was deputy for a reason. When it came to leading, they were an unparalleled pair. They balanced each other. Longberry brought the knowledge and strategy that Vinestar overlooked while Vinestar always remembered how their actions and decisions would affect their clanmates and reel Longberry in when he was looking at the clan too objectively.

Longberry had to admit that he was making that same old mistake right now. Objectively, making peace with the Others was the best choice but no cat would be happy with that, least of all Vinestar. Vinestar believed deeply in the bond that the five clans shared and he cared about Beanstar like a littermate, not to mention Lizard had already killed his medicine cat and warriors. He would not take whatever Lizard demanded lying down.

Vinestar looked angry and upset but he was a level headed cat and faced Lizard with an even stare. "What is it that you want?"

"What do I want? Not much," Lizard said with a shrug. "For a long time, the loners and rogues of the twolegplace have been tired of digging through twoleg bins for scraps and drinking out of puddles on the thunderpath. We longed to feast on the fresh prey of the forest."

Terrainstar growled. "That gives you no right to invade clan territory. There is plenty of land on the other side of the twoleg place and beyond the lake. You're more than welcome to take that. You must have had another motive."

"You're right," Lizard said, letting her tail hang low. Longberry resist the urge to attack it. How easy it would be to fasten his teeth on it and drag her down. Snaketail was a fast cat, he could pin her easily, and any one of the four leaders on the tree could swoop down for the final blow.

Longberry shook his head and reminded himself that was not the way. Objectively, it might be the solution but he knew deep down it was not the right one.

Still, Longberry couldn't see any reason to steal another cat's home let alone a whole clan of cats' home for any reason other than selfishness. He had never been a loner, he didn't understand what it was like to wander aimlessly through the rain or take refuge behind a twoleg nest for the night, but Longberry had left clan territory once or twice and he knew that there was plenty of land available. A cat might have to travel for days but there was a place waiting for him or her somewhere. Stealing the pine forest and marsh just seemed like Lizard wanted to hurt the clans.

And even though Longberry's mind came to this conclusion, surprise hit him like a monster racing down the thunderpath in the dead of night when Lizard uttered her next words.

"The Dark Forest sends its regards."

Longberry froze as the island broke into confused murmurs. Snaketail stumbled, losing his footing even though he was sitting down. His eyes went wide and his gaze flooded with panic. Longberry wanted to make some sort of comforting gesture like lapping his cheek or resting his tail tip on his pelt but his muscles refused to move, cold shock settling into his bones.

Of all the clan cats who knew about the Dark Forest, Longberry probably knew the least but Lizard's words were still alarming. How did the Others know about the Dark Forest? Nevermind, that didn't matter. What was their connection to the clans' evil ancestors? What did this mean for the clans?

Talonstar, Terrainstar, Valorstar, and Vinestar all exchanged alarmed, terrified looks. The Dark Forest's return was every leader's greatest fear, the deepest secret shared between clan leader and the next. None of them could have expected this and Lizard looked thrilled by their reaction.

"Soon, all cats under StarClan's light will see the truth," she declared, head held high.

Terrainstar found his voice first. "Which is?"

"The way of the clan cat is idiotic," Lizard spat with sudden fury. She dug her claws deep into the oak's dry bark. "Your pawsteps are guided by the fools of the past. Your every breath shouldn't be dictated by cats who died seasons ago. StarClan's will is a mousebrain's excuse to stubbornly ignore changing times. This is not some legend or story. This is real life with real cats and you clan cats are so caught up in your own little world to see them. Clan life is not superior to the livelihood of kittypets, loners, rogues, or any other band of cats and looking down on them the way you do is ignorant. You stay here in your little nests by the lake, oblivious to what's happening beyond your borders. The world has changed since the dawn of the clans and you're too blind and stupid to see that your way of life has no place here. You've all lost sight of what it means to truly be a cat. You're no worse than moths desperately being pulled into a flame. Looking at Silverpelt with stars in your eyes will just make your kind burn. The Dark Forest awaits the day you do with glee but even they want their legacy to be more than just faded memories. Any cat who leaves their clan and joins the Others will be spared the Dark Forest's revenge."

The vast majority of the cats didn't understand Lizard's message but they understood it enough to be angered into an explosion of yowls. Longberry couldn't pick out any specific voice or words out of the flurry but a fire roared in his chest, causing him to lift his head and let his own voice ring out above the rest.

"You have no right to judge our ways or try to change us," Longberry declared, voice carrying across the island, and the cats around him quieted. "Our paws are guided by StarClan and yours by our worst ancestors so it's already impossible for our two sides to see eye to eye but we don't want violence. I hate to ask this but can we come to some kind of understanding? This conflict won't end without bloodshed but I see that you have no intention of acting on the Dark Forest's will quite yet. Can we agree to respect each other's borders until the issue gets worse?"

The island broke into angry yowls, this time directed at Longberry, but the ThunderClan deputy kept his chin held high. He knew he was right. Cats might not be happy with it but if this was the way to keep his friends and allies safe from the Others' claws, then so be it. If his clanmates and allies wanted to keep their hearts beating and their blood inside their bodies, they would have to agree to these fragile terms.

A small voice in the back of his mind told him that breathing wasn't living if those breaths were ones of fear but Longberry tried to ignore it. When he got the chance, he and Vinestar would think of something better. They always did.

Vinestar's eyes met Lizard's. "My deputy has a point. Right now, no one is ready for battle. Can we try to keep peace between the clans and the Others? We might be able to reach an agreement if have more time."

Lizard looked unhappy but Longberry could tell she was considering it. "Fine. We will be your neighbors and respect your ways until the Dark Forest sends another sign and we have the strength to enforce it. The Others will be taking our leave."

Lizard jumped off the tree, landing lightly a tail length in front of Longberry and Snaketail. Snaketail's yellow eyes were filled with hostility as Lizard padded away, her cats following her across the tree bridge and back toward ShadowClan territory.

"The warrior code still stands, right?" Valorstar spoke up. Longberry blinked a few times, not expecting that question to be the one that resumed the Gathering. It was a good one though. "WindClan and ThunderClan won't be the Others' neighbors but RiverClan and SkyClan are. I need to know that ThunderClan and WindClan are still faithful to the sixteenth rule."

"Each Clan has the right to be proud and independent, but in times of trouble they must forget their boundaries and fight side by side to protect the five. Each Clan must help the others so that no Clan will fall," Talonstar recited. They glanced between the other leaders and dipped their head. "WindClan will stand by RiverClan and SkyClan should the Others pose a threat."

"ThunderClan as well," Vinestar said immediately, "but I think we need to be more progessive than just wait for the Others to attack another clan."

"Agreed," Terrainstar said. "Longberry's proposal was a good one, seeing as our paws are tied at the moment but he'd have to be a fool to think it'll last and we all know Longberry is no fool."

"Then what do you think we should do?" Talonstar asked. They lowered their voice a bit but remained loud enough for the island to hear them. "When the clans first fought the Dark Forest, borders and clan traditions were completely forgotten and each clans' hunting grounds and camp were shared. I don't think any of us want to do that again."

"Wait, again?" Rushstalk spoke up. He, Patternheart, and Redstalk shared a look of confusion. Even Snaketail, who was familiar with their new enemy, didn't know what the WindClan leader was talking about. Talonstar shot a meaningful look to her fellow leaders.

"The Dark Forest is another realm for dead warriors to go," Vinestar explained but he didn't look too keen on sharing anything more. "It seems the Others have been listening to them."

"The Others are no Dark Forest though," Terrainstar pointed out. "As Lizard said, they are real cats and they are weaker than the four clans combined. I see no reason to do as we did in the past."

"Agreed," Valorstar said with a nod. "The warrior code states that a clan must be proud and independent and I believe that in this case, we can keep our pride and independence as well as our borders but still stand together."

Vinestar nodded. "You're right but perhaps we should be less strict? No hunting on each others' territory, of course, but if two patrols see each other, it may improve clan relations if they were at least courteous to each other. They don't have to share tongues but they could at least greet each other and share news."

"And we can take advantage of the three tail lengths lake rule," Terrainstar suggested. "I don't want ThunderClan cats visiting my territory on a whim but assuming that the cats follow the rule and stay within three tail lengths of the lake, I see no harm in letting cats pass between the clans a bit more frequently."

Talonstar looked to the clans' mediator. "Echopelt? Do you think this could work or would we just end up making things worse?"

Amusement glowed in Echopelt's eyes and he waved his tail. "I'll never object to clan cats being a bit more friendly to each other. That's essentially all you're proposing."

Terrainstar chuckled. "I suppose. So we're all in agreement."

He got a series of nods in response.

"Then a truce."

"A truce," the other cats echoed.

* * *

As the clan headed back home, Roarpaw kept his mouth shut and remained far quieter than he had in a long time. Contrary to what many cats believed, he wasn't a complete mousebrain. He knew everything going on with the Others was serious, more serious than anything that had happened to the clans in his short life. Tonight's revelations made his belly churn with unease.

He didn't believe a word Lizard said, not for a heartbeat. He didn't think anything about clan life was wrong. Sure, they may live different from other cats and maybe clan cats lost some of the experiences of life because of it but he truly believed they gained so much more. Kinship, camaraderie, a reason to live other than to fill one's own belly, the ability to claim loyalty, a warm nest each night, there was so much that Roarpaw knew he wouldn't have as a loner. He wouldn't have his mentor or any friends or even his brother at his side.

Speaking of Wolfpaw, the other tom was unusually quiet. Roarpaw knew he was quiet too but Wolfpaw was quiet in a whole different way. Wolfpaw had seemed… upset the past few sunrises and Roarpaw expected tonight's news to distract him but it looked like Wolfpaw's misery only intensified. Roarpaw couldn't fathom why.

Roarpaw softly shouldered him, getting his attention. Wolfpaw turned to face him and Roarpaw tilted his head, making sure to catch his eye. "Are you alright?"

Roarpaw expected it to take some coaxing to get an answer out of Wolfpaw and even then it wouldn't be the whole truth. He didn't expect his brother to give him a straight response.

"No," Wolfpaw said flatly. He shook his head and closed his eyes. "Roarpaw… Something happened. Something bad. And I don't know how to fix it."

Roarpaw frowned, concern flashing in his chest. "What happened?"

"A few nights ago, I had a dream," Wolfpaw told him. His voice suddenly became very quiet, mumbling something not even a mouse could hear.

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch that."

"I dreamed of the Dark Forest," Wolfpaw said a bit louder. He ducked his head, ashamed. "I dreamed of the Dark Forest, Roarpaw."

Roarpaw nearly stopped in his tracks as confusion came over him. "What? How? We just found out about them tonight."

"They weren't invented just now," Wolfpaw said almost bitterly. "A few nights ago, I was having this dream and this ghost cat came up to me. Snaketail was there and he begged me not to listen to them but I… I…"

"Snaketail was there?"

Wolfpaw nodded. "He told me that the Dark Forest visited him when he was an apprentice and he's been trying to get away from them. Roarpaw, he looked so broken when he saw me there. It felt like I was… I don't know, betraying him. I don't know what to do."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Roarpaw asked before he could catch himself. He sounded angrier than intended when in reality he wasn't angry at all, just scared and worried for his brother. Wolfpaw flinched at his tone and hurt flashed in his eyes. Roarpaw wanted to slap his tail over his mouth but he knew that would do nothing more than make him look like a featherbrained kit. He pressed to his brother's side and rubbed his cheek against his neck, silently letting him know everything would be okay.

"I got scared," Wolfpaw admitted softly, looking down at his paws. Roarpaw let his eyes follow his gaze. He'd forgotten how beautiful Wolfpaw's paws looked compared to his own. Roarpaw liked his ginger markings but they barely stood out on his russet fur. The silver splashes on Wolfpaw's pelt and paws were something different entirely and Roarpaw loved it. "Shredtail- that's the name of the Dark Forest cat who visited me- grabbed me by the scruff and dragged me away. At first the dream was fun but once he showed up… I was just too scared to do anything. Roarpaw, I'm so, so scared. I tried to stay up all night these past few nights so I wouldn't have to go back but I just…"

Roarpaw soothed him with a murmur and lapped his ear. A passing warrior gave them an odd look and Roarpaw remembered that the clan was still walking together but he didn't care. He shot the warrior a glare and turned his attention back to Wolfpaw. "Have you talked to Snaketail? He might be able to help you."

Wolfpaw shook his head. "He tried to talk to me the morning after but I didn't want to talk about it. And there's nothing he can do to help me. He doesn't know how to escape either or if there even is a way."

"But he can protect you," Roarpaw told him softly. "Together you two could do something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know… spy for the clans? The Dark Forest is a threat right now. We could use whatever we can get."

Wolfpaw's gaze suddenly became hollow. "Roarpaw, no."

"Why not?"

"Because we could die!" Wolfpaw exclaimed a bit louder than he probably intended. Roarpaw felt a stab of guilt. Of course his brother's safety was more important. Roarpaw loved him. He would fight every cat in the Dark Forest if it meant his brother was safe.

Wolfpaw was shaking and that made Roarpaw's heart crack like ice. He tried to remember a time he'd seen Wolfpaw like this. It took awhile but eventually he found something deep in the back of his memory that he thought he'd forgotten.

Wolfpaw and Roarpaw had been kitted in late leaf-bare. It was fortunate they had no littermates or they wouldn't have survived. It had been a harsh one, the cold killing a lot of the forest's prey. There was one night where a storm had raged through the forest. It was a bad one as well as their first. Now, neither apprentice had any problem with storms- both have them actually enjoyed them, assuming they were dry and warm in their nests- but they'd been so young and small back then and their mother Sunnybrook could do little to calm them. Somehow, she coaxed them both to sleep and fell into a deep slumber herself.

But sleep couldn't ward off the claps of thunder or the roar of the rain. The two kits awoke, terrified out of their fur, without any comfort except each other. Roarpaw remembered the two pressing against each other, shivering in the cold and their own fear.

As bad as that experience was, Roarpaw remembered it fondly. The day prior, the two had heard a story from the elders. Roarpaw couldn't quite remember if that had been the first time he heard stories about the Great Clans or not but he did remember that his tiny kit mind couldn't quite recall exactly how those stories went when it came down to it. So, they made up new ones.

The brothers spent the whole night distracting themselves with stories of brave warriors who could stand up to anything. Big cats like Goldenstar and Thorntooth were each strong in their own right and even though they all had flaws, the kits could forget about that and conjure up amazing images of them in their minds, tricking themselves into believing the warriors were watching over them from the stars. Even now, Roarpaw sometimes caught himself looking up at the night sky and trying to figure out which star was Shadestar or Fleetfoot, wondering if they were watching him.

Maybe that's why Roarpaw loved those old stories so much. He'd almost forgotten about that night so long ago but that was where it all started. To him, lions, tigers, and leopards were protectors. That was what he wanted to be. Tonight, that was what he needed to be. He knew this wasn't something he could fight with his own teeth and claws but there was no way in StarClan's name he wouldn't do anything to help his brother.

"You're right. I'm sorry," Roarpaw sighed. His amber eyes shifted to look up at the stars for a few heartbeats as he tried to get his thoughts back together. "Just… Try to stay safe, Wolfpaw. Everything's going to be okay."

"I hope so," Wolfpaw whispered and the two brothers walked back home in silence.

* * *

Vigilstorm was already pacing around the medicine den by the time Lonberry and Echopelt collapsed in their temporary nests in his den for the night.

"Calm down, Vigilstorm," Echopelt said, his usually cheery tone tainted with exhaustion. "You need to rest."

"How can I rest when-" Vigilstorm started then cut off and sighed. He looked down at his paws. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Longberry told him as he curled up in his moss and bracken. "We're all a bit… tense right now. It's completely understandable if you're not feeling well but the clan is counting on you. For their sake, go to sleep, Vigilstorm. Maybe StarClan will share a dream with you and clear some things up."

"Even if they don't, sleep is important for your wellbeing," Echopelt added. "We need you at your best."

"I know," Vigilstorm sighed and padded over to his nest. He flopped onto his bedding messily and was immediately hit with a wave of tiredness. He hadn't realized how drained he was. It was late, well past moonhigh. He knew he'd have no trouble falling asleep. Hopefully that meant he'd have no trouble trying out those powers Jayfeather mentioned. Murmuring goodnight to his clanmates, Vigilstorm closed his eyes and drifted off to the realm of sleep.

When he opened his eyes, he was hit with a blinding white light and immediately knew he was in StarClan. A startled yowl sounded from beside him and Vigilstorm leaped back in surprise and alarm.

It seemed that Bluestar and Yellowfang had done the same thing because they stood a tail length away from him, eyes wild and chests heaving.

"Fox dung!" Yellowfang hissed angrily. "Do you have to just appear like that? At least Jayfeather had the courtesy to rise up or appear farther away. You… Oh by the stars. You really are another Jayfeather, aren't you?"

"Um… Surprise?" Vigilstorm said hesitantly, creeping forward. He glanced around. "I was actually hoping to talk to him. Do either of you know where I can find Jayfeather?"

"As powerful as you may be," Bluestar told him, "Jayfeather's stronger. You're not going to find him if he doesn't want to talk to you."

"But I need to find him!" Vigilstorm insisted. "You two already made it clear you don't know anything. The Dark Forest is working with the Others. ShadowClan is already gone, who knows what they might do next? We need the Four and I don't know how to find them."

"Really?" Yellowfang sounded surprised and hope flashed in Vigilstorm's chest.

"You know how to find them?"

"What? No, of course not," Yellowfang responded and Vigilstorm's heart sank. "Jayfeather just used to complain a lot about StarClan being vague. I'd think he of all cats would be better than those before him."

"Whatever," Vigilstorm grunted, not caring about being rude. With a flick of his tail, he padded away. "See you around."

The clearing that Vigilstorm appeared in was vast. In fact, it wasn't really a clearing. It was just a field that bordered some trees. On one side, the field led into moorland and the other looked like a swamp, complete with a river. He was near the usual desolate meeting places. He was in the heart of Silverpelt. In one glance, Vigilstorm saw dozens of cats of all different colors and frames. Surely Jayfeather or at least a cat who knew how to find him was out there.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bluestar asked as Vigilstorm tried approaching a pair of cats lounging by the river. Vigilstorm glanced over his shoulder, realizing that Yellowfang and Bluestar had followed him. He shot her a deadpan look. Bluestar rolled her eyes and sighed. "You're not going to find him by wandering around our hunting grounds. Now quit bothering Flametail and Tigerstar. Can't you see they're sharing a nice meal?"

"Oh, he's not bothering us,. We were done eating anyway," the cat that Vigilstorm assumed was Flametail spoke up. His bright blue eyes watched Vigilstorm with interest. "You're a medicine cat, right? A live one? What are you doing here? It's not half moon yet."

"He's the new Jayfeather," Yellowfang grunted, padding over. "Ignore him. He'll wake up eventually."

"I really need to talk to Jayfeather," Vigilstorm begged, eyes darting between the two new cats. "Any chance you know where to find him?"

"I wish," Flametail grumbled. "He died season cycles ago but he was barely in our part of StarClan for a pawful of moons. He and the rest of the Four went off to the mist to do Silverpelt knows what. I've only seen him once or twice since then. I was hoping to spend some time with him after we died but he's not really open to it. Mist cats don't really leave their part of Silverpelt for social reasons."

"This isn't social."

"Just give up," the tom called Tigerstar said. He sounded tired. "There's no point in trying to find the Four. Even if you find the mist, it's impossible to find your way in there. You'll just get lost. You, luckily, will just wake up and leave but you don't really want to spend the night there. It's better to just forget it."

"And I thought I was the pessimistic cat," Vigilstorm responded sarcastically. "Haven't you ever tried?"

"Yes. Yes I did," Tigerstar growled and Vigilstorm regretted his words. "I tried for three season cycles. Did you know my mate, Dovewing, is one of the Three? We spent about a season together in Silverpelt before Jayfeather rounded up the Four and said that destiny was calling them to StarClan's border. I've only seen her once since then and it was when I got so lost in the mist that my mind started playing tricks on me. She found me and guided me out. When I asked her to come with me, she just told me not to try again. She said we'd be together again one day but my pelt's been fading for lifetimes and I haven't seen her again."

"I'm sorry," Vigilstorm murmured. Tigerstar closed his eyes and sighed. Vigilstorm almost wanted to comfort him but he didn't know this StarClan cat and it seemed like Flametail was doing a good enough job by putting a paw over his. "Hopefully when this is over, the Four will be able to go home."

"Just because they can doesn't mean they will," Tigerstar said bitterly.

Flametail bumped him. "Hey, don't talk like that. They'll help bring ShadowClan back and maybe we'll see them again."

"Big maybe," Tigerstar muttered and looked up. "I hope that they can see us. I hope they know how much they're hurting us by staying away."

Vigilstorm followed his gaze and looked up. As usual, the sky above StarClan's hunting grounds was overcast. Before now, Vigilstorm had never given it much thought but now it had meaning. "Is that…?"

"The mist, yeah," Flametail told him. "Up, down, all the sides. It's everywhere around us."

"Don't give him any ideas," Yellowfang snapped but Vigilstorm's mind was already working.

Tigerstar got to his paws. "Oh no. I wouldn't try that if I were you, medicine cat."

Vigilstorm ignored him. He bunched up his muscles in his haunches, preparing to launch himself upward. After a few heartbeats, he paused. That little voice in his mind was yowling at him incoherently. He tried his best to ignore it and prepared to leap.

"Don't jump. You look ridiculous," Yellowfanf snorted.

Vigilstorm shot her a glare. "Then what should I do?"

"Run," Flametail told him, sitting up like a brilliant idea struck him. He shook himself a bit, letting his flame colored fur catch a bit of sunlight. With no sun above, Vigilstorm didn't have any clue where the beams of light raining down came from but he tried not to think about that right now. Flametail was helping him. "When cats die, their spirits step out of their bodies and run to Silverpelt. If you want to go any higher, that's the only way to do it."

"Don't encourage him!" the other three cats hissed harshly. Vigilstorm's violet eyes widened ever so slightly and he dipped his head to the orange tom. He murmured his gratitude, thankful that there was finally a cat with enough sense to aid him.

Without another word, Vigilstorm took off. He could hear Yellowfang and Bluestar calling after him and Tigerstar scolding Flametail but he tried to focus on the sound of his own heart beating in his chest, the blood roaring in his ears, and his paws thrumming against the earth. Abandoning his place on the damp bank of the river, the earth changed under his paws and he streaked across land into the field where dozens of cats chased rabbits, sunned, and played. He could see trees in the corners of his eyes and plenty of cats milling around him.

He saw a grey tom with long hair talking with a beautiful silver she-cat. The she-cat had a paw over his, gaze soft as a kit's fur. He saw a golden brown tabby racing a smaller tortoiseshell. The tom was winning, glancing over his shoulder teasingly, while tortoiseshell laughed a couple foxlengths behind him, promising to catch him. There was a black and white tom with a long tail winding around a bright orange tom like he was the only thing in the whole world. The bright orange tom's green eyes glowed like he was looking at the cat who put the stars in the sky. It was a beautiful sight to behold. All around them, there were so many other cats, all caught up in their own little lives, sharing their afterlife with the cats they so clearly cared about. It made Vigilstorm's chest flood with warmth and he would love nothing more than to stop and watch them but he couldn't let himself be distracted.

Cats looked up as he shot past them, running like a rabbit being chased by a WindClan warrior. Vigilstorm was fast, he always was. His build was perfect for running. His paws barely grazed the grass as he skimmed over it. And soon, they weren't touching at all.

Like Flametail described, he could feel himself rising. He turned, spiraling upward as he ran on an invisible surface. He was running on air, he told himself. He risked a glance down and saw Bluestar, Yellowfang, Tigerstar, and so many other cats watching him with shock in their eyes and mouths agape. Flametail's eyes were bright as he looked up at him. It almost looked like he was purring.

But Vigilstorm wasn't that high yet. He was barely a tree length up. So he kept pushing, pushing himself higher and higher. He turned his attention back to the foggy sky above and reached for it with everything he had.

And he caught something. He didn't know what, it wasn't physical, but he was close enough to feel that whatever little bit inside of him that was connected to the place above Silverpelt was reaching back and holding onto him. A brief flash of victory flooded his system. He was going to make it.

But then that feeling faded. Like claws slicing through a vine dangling from a tree, it was severed and Vigilstorm's vision went black.

* * *

**AN:** Can you guess the StarClan cats mentioned? I'm pretty sure Vigilstorm saw Graystripe, Silverstream, Thornclaw, Blossomfall, Tallstar, and Jake (I know he's not in StarClan) but I didn't write it down when I wrote this so I don't exactly remember.

I have a number of new stories going up today on my ao3 account. My username is the same as it is here so go check them out if you're interested.


	11. The Long Awaited Reveal

Vigilstorm freaking hated this. Three moons. Three moons! Three moons had passed and he knew nothing. Sure, he visited StarClan plenty of times to the point Bluestar and Yellowfang were starting to hate him but he learned nothing from it other than the fact Yellowfang got scary when she was angry.

Three half-moons, three visits to the Moonpool and nothing. Not a sign of a silver hair from Jayfeather's starry pelt. Vigilstorm was just about ready to throw a fit and give up.

No. No, he wasn't. This was too important. But when he finally saw the spirit cat, he would have some words to say and they would be far from kind. What kind of cat told another that he had a mission and the power of the stars in his paws only to leave him to figure it out on his own? Jayfeather. That's who.

Frustrations with Silverpelt aside, Vigilstorm was finally getting a grip on his powers. He could visit StarClan at will and he'd gotten close to the mist a number of times. Even better, he now understood the other powers Jayfeather described. Well, not the memory thing, he had no idea what that was, but the other ones he understood at least.

He tried not to use them, he really did, but there was just something so tempting to reach out to another cat's emotions or peer into their thoughts. Echopelt and Longberry had left his den moons ago but while they were there, they usually ended up being used for target practice. Both cats were… odd. Echopelt was like a sun, shining brilliantly above the forest. There were some shady patches on occasion but for the most part he was a pretty simple, happy cat. Longberry was a bit more complicated. If Vigilstorm had to pick an analogy, he was like a thick fog on the riverbank. He didn't have a lot of strong emotions but every once in a while, a few would jump out and surprise him.

Oddly enough, Vigilstorm occasionally sensed a light brighter than even Echopelt in the deputy. It was something different entirely but it caught his attention and he'd spent many nights lying awake in his nest wondering about it.

Feeling another cat's emotions could be overwhelming but being battered by the constant stream of thoughts in their minds could be unbearable. Both cats were also far more intelligent than Vigilstorm gave them credit for. Vigilstorm knew he was a smart cat too, he had to be if he had any hope of being a medicine cat, but the deputy and the mediator were on a whole different level. Both were incredibly observant in ways that Vigilstorm didn't even know were possible and they did more than just observe. They understood. That provided some comfort, knowing the clan was held in such capable paws, and gave Vigilstorm more than a few ideas to spark conversation.

After the whole ordeal of getting the two back into good enough health to resume their duties, Vigilstorm felt that he had formed a special bond with the two. Before, he could barely call either cat his friend but he was more comfortable doing so now. Well, almost. That little voice in the back of his mind still made him question these things but Vigilstorm was getting better at keeping it under control. He didn't know if it was his growing mastery of his powers or Jayfeather's brief words regarding it that made him feel better. He found that he didn't care.

The clan was doing well. Dottail had kitted a litter of three healthy kits. Sagekit, Pikekit, Cobblekit, and Neetlekit brought some joy to their mother's broken heart and Vigilstorm genuinely believed she'd be able to move past Larkwhisker's death. Dottail would never forget him by any means but with all of her kits alive and healthy, there was some hope for her.

The clan's warriors still kept up their duties. Leaf-fall had set in so prey wasn't as plentiful but the clan was still eating well. Patrols were less tense and several ThunderClan cats had grown to enjoy running into their neighbors at the borders and even formed interclan friendships. As predicted, the clans' agreement to be friendly was working out well. There were a couple border spats here and there but they were never violent and the warriors were usually able to quickly diffuse them without calling in a medicine cat, deputy, or mediator to help.

The twins' apprenticeship was going well. Vigilstorm was happy to see that his old friend Snaketail was doing so well with Wolfpaw. Of course, the two were both showing up at his den in the morning far more than they should have but they were doing a good job hiding their dream given injuries. The tension between them had faded into a shared fear. Vigilstorm only knew it because of his powers and he knew it was far from healthy but at least Wolfpaw and Snaketail stayed together in their dreams. They could keep each other safe. Or at least they tried and that was the best any of them could hope for.

Vigilstorm had, surprisingly, formed some sort of friendship with Roarpaw. Their friendship was built off their mutual joy in bothering or mocking the other, mostly with nicknames. Vigilstorm had to admit that Roarpaw was better at it than him and ended up going to Rushstalk on more than one occasion for help but it didn't exactly go as planned. Rushstalk didn't seem to understand the meaning of insult and usually just ended up smothering any and every cat in camp with affectionate monkiers. Vigilstorm had created a monster. Well actually, it wasn't entirely his fault. One day, Longberry had walked up to Vigilstorm and informed him that he was only feeding the figurative monster. Rushstalk apparently already did that and Vigilstorm's stimulation just made him louder about it.

Vigilstorm regretted nothing. He knew Longberry's annoyance was a facade. Longberry didn't have a lot of cats he called close and listening to his brother's borderline incoherent affections was good for him. And amusing. Mostly amusing.

However, Vigilstorm's own duties were far from amusing. He was younger than most cats were when they took the title as the clan's medicine cat. It was tiring, not having another set of paws to help him with his work. The spider idea ended up not working out so Vigilstorm moved the spiders he'd put in his den to an abandoned owl's nest in a tree near the old twoleg nest where ThunderClan medicine cats grew herbs. Vigilstorm was happy to contribute something new to it after many generations of the farm going unchanged and the cobweb farm was actually working far better than Vigilstorm had expected.

Not everything could be good though. There was still no sign of ShadowClans and the Others still controlled the marsh and pines. They started marking the borders about a moon ago but didn't exactly do it frequently. SkyClan and RiverClan fought with them several times on the borders and Vigilstorm was called out to another clan's territory to help patch cats up a few times. The Others fought brutally and they fought to kill. Vigilstorm didn't know exactly what his thoughts were on them but he did know they filled him with unease.

The worst part was that Vigilstorm still had no idea who the other cats gifted powers by the Four were and it was eating him up. He knew he could probably try walking the dreams or reading the thoughts of his clanmates but there was no telling that would work not to mention it would take forever with the number of cats in the clan. He didn't even know if the others were in ThunderClan. Fox dung, he didn't even know if they were clan cats. They could be kittypets or loners for all he knew.

Vigilstorm let out a long sigh, his own thoughts dragging him down. A cat playfully shouldered him, snapping him out of it. Vigilstorm blinked a few times and realized that his brother Antpatch had joined him.

"Hey, Vigilstorm," Antpatch greeted with a casual flick of his tail. "You've been looking kinda stressed lately. Wanna run around in the forest like we used to when we were apprentices? It might clear that dusty head of yours."

Vigilstorm broke into a purr. "That sounds great, Antpatch."

"Awesome," Antpatch said, matching his purr. "Wanna race?"

"Sure," Vigilstorm said getting to his paws. A mischievous, kit-like idea flashed in his mind and he suddenly shoved his brother and bolted. "Onetwothree go!"

"Vigilstorm!" Antpelt yowled, laughter in his voice. "You furball! Wait up!"

* * *

"_Vigilstorm! You furball! Wait up!"_

"_Not my fault you're so slow, dormouse." _

"_Oh, I am going to win this!"_

"Patternheart. Patternheart! Hello? You in there?"

Patternheart blinked as he snapped back to reality, shaking his head. Roarpaw was looking up at him, worry shining in his eyes. Patternheart smiled at him. "Hello to you too, 'paw. Any reason you stopped your warm up?"

It was nearly sunhigh and the leaf-fall weather wasn't nearly as nice as it had been in greenleaf but Patternheart had jumped at the chance to train his apprentice after dawn patrol. Snaketail and Wolfpaw were… Patternheart wasn't actually sure what they were doing. They were probably hunting or something. It wasn't important. What was important was that he was finally getting the chance to do some solitary training with Roarpaw. The russet tom was a natural at battle and Patternheart was looking forward to seeing how much raw talent he really had and teaching him how to use that talent. If only he would concentrate.

"I just finished my last lap," Roarpaw told him slowly. "You were looking kinda zoned out there, Patternheart. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm just _purr_fect," Patternheart responded, smiling. Roarpaw groaned at the joke and Patternheart laughed. "Sorry, I just got distracted. It sounds like Vigilstorm and Antpatch having a race."

Roarpaw pricked his ears then frowned. "I don't hear anything."

Patternheart tilted his head and waved his tail loosely in the direction of the camp. "They just ran out of the camp. They're coming this way. Vigilstorm just jumped over that fallen tree over by that oak you practice your climbing on."

Roarpaw looked at his mentor like he had two heads. "Patternheart…"

"Come on, tell me you can't hear that. It's leaf-fall. There are tons of leaves everywhere! You can totally hear their pawsteps better than normal."

Roarpaw was still giving him a skeptical look. "Patternheart, there's no way you can hear them from this far away. I'm not calling you a liar or anything, I promise, but… Patternheart, that's not normal."

Patternheart blinked a few times. "I'm sure I hear it though."

Roarpaw shrugged. "Sometimes cats imagine they hear things or they just have ringing in their ears. I don't know. Snaketail's mentioned it a few times. You're always hearing things. Maybe you should ask Vigilstorm about it?"

Patternheart felt his bones lock up as fear seized him. It wasn't a terrifying spike or a rush of adrenaline. It was a tamer fear but fear nonetheless. He couldn't deny it, he often heard things that other cats claimed they couldn't or thought was impossible for him to hear. But usually he was right so there wasn't anything wrong with him, right? Right?

For StarClan's sake, who was he kidding? Of course there was something wrong with him. Patternheart knew it. Even if he wasn't imagining it, there was no way this was normal. Patternheart had always felt different, even from his littermates. Roarpaw's worries were just confirmation.

Patternheart forced a cheerful expression onto his face, masking his own unease. "Of course, 'paw. Everything with 'ol Patternheart is _paw_sitively _purr_fect. Don't you worry those red little hairs on that pretty pelt of yours."

"You just used that one," Roarpaw complained. Patternheart swallowed, slightly disappointed in himself for not using something remotely original but he needed to keep his spirits high for Roarpaw's sake. He couldn't have his 'paw worrying for him, now could he?

"Let's go practice your leap and hold," Patternheart suggested, nudging Roarpaw back a tail length or two. "It's one of Snaketail's favorite defensive moves."

Roarpaw tilted his head. "I thought it was an offensive move."

"It's both. That's why he likes it so much."

Roarpaw's amber eyes lit up like the sun hitting the autumn leaves and he flexed his claws. "Then he better watch out because Roarpaw's mastering this move today!"

"That's the spirit!" Patternheart purred as Roarpaw took a few more steps away to get enough room to practice the move. The leap and hold was a good move. Patternheart didn't use it much but he'd heard both Snaketail and Longberry used it while fighting the Others' leader in the ShadowClan camp. The move was simple yet brilliant. It was ideally used by a smaller cat, like an apprentice, fighting a larger cat. The smaller cat would jump onto the larger cats' back and hold on so he or she was out of range of the cat's paws while being in the position to deal a lot of damage. A group of apprentices could use it to take down a much more experienced warrior. Patternheart hoped Roarpaw and Wolfpaw wouldn't have to use it anytime soon but with all the tension among the clans right now, Patternheart felt a lot better knowing that Roarpaw had this move in his repertoire. It could save his life.

Patternheart tried to ignore the sounds in the distance, convinced his mind was playing tricks on him, as Roarpaw padded up to the log the pair had dragged into the training clearing. He stopped about a tail length from it and began circling, almost like he was hunting, with a gleam in his amber eyes. He crouched, knees bent and leg muscles ready to push him forward, and prepared to attack.

With a yowl, he threw himself at the log and landed on it squarely, digging his hind paws into the side and wrapping his forepaws around the front like he would a cat's neck. He sank his teeth into the splintering bark and growled. "Take that fleabag!"

Patternheart purred. The execution of the move was almost perfect. Roarpaw hadn't kept his eyes on his surroundings but for now, that was okay. He opened his mouth to praise him when the loud noise he'd been ignoring suddenly burst into the clearing.

"Ha! Beat you!" Vigilstorm declared triumphantly as he trotted into the clearing with Antpelt a clean five foxlengths behind him.

"By the stars, how are you so fast?" Antpelt panted, coming to a stop behind his littermate. "I'm the warrior here! Shouldn't you be all slow from sorting herbs all the time?"

Patternheart locked eyes with Roarpaw, panic, confusion, and worry relaying between them. Patternheart had heard Vigilstorm and Antpelt racing but how could that be? Like Roarpaw said, they were too far for him to possibly have heard them. A strange feeling began gnawing at Patternheart's belly and he didn't like it.

Roarpaw slid off the log, coughing to get the other cats attention. "Hey Antpelt! Geez, how did you lose to Vigilstorm? You're a warrior, you can't be getting soft on us."

"I know," Antpelt groaned good naturedly. "So how's your training going?"

"Great!" Roarpaw said enthusiastically. "Do you want to spar with me?"

"Sure!" Antpelt said. He glanced at his brother. "Vigilstorm, you don't mind waiting, right?"

"Of course not," the medicine cat said, whisking his tail as he sat down beside Patternheart. "It's been awhile since I've talked to Patternheart."

"I wanted to talk to you about something anyway," Patternheart said, trying to push down that feeling in his belly. He was starting to feel a bit sick but this he was certain was just his mind playing tricks on him again.

"Oh?"

"Great!" Roarpaw said a little too loudly. He turned around and retreated a bit. "Come on, Antpelt. I'm going to kick your tail in."

"The day hedgehogs fly!"

"It's nice seeing them get along," Vigilstorm commented as the two toms began wrestling on the dry earth. "I don't think I've seen them talk much. So what did you want to talk about, Patternheart?"

Patternheart swallowed, unsure as to what to say. He'd thought about asking about whatever this was before but he'd always given up on the idea before it could get very far along. Today, he'd decided to talk about it on little more than a whim. He knew he wasn't ready. What was he supposed to say? It was weird. Vigilstorm would freak out and tell him there was something wrong with him and- No. No, he had to ask. He needed to be sure.

"I've been… hearing things," Patternheart admitted quietly, closing his eyes and looking down at his paws. He didn't want to see Vigilstorm's face.

"Really! That's awesome!" Vigilstorm exclaimed. Patternheart's head shot up, confusion and surprise visible on his face. Of all the… He was not expecting Vigilstorm to react like that. He tipped his head with confusion. Did Vigilstorm even understand what he was saying? He doubted it. He'd barely said anything. Vigilstorm's eyes widened for a moment and he gave his pelt a few embarrassed licks. "I mean, um, explain."

"Well, I always hear things," Patternheart started. "Different things, I mean. Things that other cats can't hear or don't think I should be able to hear. Sometimes it's too far or too quiet. I don't really know. I just know it's not normal. Snaketail mentions it all the time and Roarpaw pointed it out just now. I just thought I should tell you in case there's something wrong with me."

"What? No, of course there's nothing wrong with you, Patternheart," Vigilstorm assured and for a heartbeat, he sounded so genuine that Patternheart believed him. "What was it you heard just now?"

"I heard you and Antpelt racing," Patternheart told him. "I mean, I was right but you were all the way back at camp. I shouldn't be able to hear that, right?"

"No, you shouldn't. But that's not a bad thing!" Vigilstorm said quickly, excitement in his tone. Patternheart couldn't fathom why. "Say, I know this is kind of a weird question, but do you know any cat who's undefeatable in battle?"

Patternheart started to respond when he was interrupted by a victorious yowl. He looked over to see Roarpaw pinning Antpelt down. The smaller cat had him in a good hold, keeping all of the warrior's paws down. Roarpaw looked over at his mentor, eyes glowing with pride. "I got him!"

"You did. Wow, I really must be getting soft if an apprentice can beat me," Antpelt groaned. He tried to sit up and struggled a bit against Roarpaw's grip but couldn't manage to get free. "Hey, can you let me up?"

Patternheart exchanged a glance with Vigilstorm. The other cat was practically glowing. More emotions were fixed on his features than Patternheart thought was physically possible. Joy, excitement, relief, it was all there. And despite the distress writing in Patternheart's heart, he couldn't help but smile at him.

"I'll explain everything soon," Vigilstorm told him. "I promise."

* * *

The sky was a brilliant white, a glow rather than a cloud covered frame, and that should have been a sign this was a dream but Roarpaw didn't care to notice. He was warm and the grass beneath his paws felt nice as he pranced around the field. Flowers dotted the edges of his vision but he wasn't focused on the beauty of the scene at the moment. He was having too much fun.

With a soft mrowr, Roarpaw leaped into the air, lashing out with his forepaws at an imaginary opponent. He twisted, sharply lashing his tail to find balance, and managed to land on his paws. His eyes lit up with a proud gleam. He'd done it! It had taken him so long to figure out that move. Not that it was practical in battle but it was still an awesome one.

"Well done," a voice purred, breaking Roarpaw from the illusion of solidarity. The russet and ginger apprentice's head snapped up, eyes falling on a dark tabby tom. Black markings framed his eyes, making his violet eyes stand out against the face that usually held a scowl. Only Vigilstorm wasn't scowling now. His eyes were shining, like he was genuinely happy. He sounded like it too. Another purr escaped his lips. "Surprised to see me?"

"Not really," Roarpaw said with a shrug, padding over. "Normally Wolfpaw shows up in my dreams but you're cool too. What kind of adventure are we going to go on?"

Vigilstorm looked confused for a heartbeat before amusement flashed across his features. Laughing, he turned around and began padding away. "You'll see. Come on, we've got one more cat to pick up."

"Really? Who?" Roarpaw asked, breaking into a trot to flank him. He tried to catch Vigilstorm's eye but the medicine cat seemed more content with walking than talking.

"You'll see," Vigilstorm hummed. He waved his tail and Roarpaw blinked. His eyes were only closed for a heartbeat but when he opened them, the pair was suddenly in another location.

"Woah!"

"Woah is right," Vigilstorm said. He lifted his head. "Patternheart!"

The long haired white tom stood in another clearing surrounded by dry, orange leaves. Roarpaw had never experienced a leaf-fall before but he had to say that the new world that the season created was beautiful and Patternheart seemed to share the sentiment. A cool breeze was blowing leaves off the trees, letting them dance in the air and right into Patternheart's outstretched paws. Like a kit, the warrior was hunting leaves.

"Wait, is this Patternheart's dream?" Roarpaw asked. He knew it was a stupid question but it just slipped out. He saw no reason for him to be dreaming about his mentor chasing leaves. The last thing he expected was for Vigilstorm to make a noise of confirmation. Whipping around, Roarpaw's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

"What are you two 'paws doing here?" Patternheart asked, padding over. He shook out his pelt but bits of broken leaves refused to fall and clung to his fur.

"I'm not an apprentice," Vigilstorm responded, not answering the question.

"This is my dream. You can be whatever I want. I know you're a full medicine cat now but you'll always be a 'paw to me."

"Actually," Vigilstorm said, "this isn't your dream. This is our dream."

"Our?" Roarpaw echoed. "So, you mean we're sharing a dream? Wow! That's so cool. I remember Frostbark telling me about something like that once."

Patternheart blinked a few times but didn't seem all that confused or off put by the revelation. "Oh. That's neat. Why are we here then? You said earlier that you would explain everything."

"Indeed," a voice cut in, far too deep to be Vigilstorm's. The three ThunderClan cats whipped around to see another trio of cats standing behind them. Roarpaw's jaw dropped as they padded forward, taking their place beside them, and couldn't help but shrink back in awe.

The cat leading them was a sleek creature. He had a thin frame that held strength and confidence. It was clear this cat was a great one and he knew exactly what he was. His silky fur was a pale grey with thin streaks of silver running through. Each time he moved, tight muscles rippled under his pelt and his fur seemed to catch the light and shine even more than it did when he was still. His expression was sharp and perfectly matched his pale blue eyes. Roarpaw had to take a step back. The tom had a powerful aura to him but not in a traditional, physical sense. No, this cat was something else entirely.

The second cat was a bit smaller but just as beautiful. Her grey fur was just as sleek and soft as the tom beside her but it was far lighter in color. Her posture held strength as well but her pawsteps held more precision and grace than her companion. Her green eyes glowed faintly, like emeralds catching the light of dawn, and her whole being was filled with warmth. It was her that made Roarpaw's eyes widen and a smile to form on his face.

But it was the last cat that flooded Roarpaw with awe and humility. He stood out from his companions with his gorgeous golden pelt, broad shoulders, powerful build, mane-like ruffle, and steady swagger. He was stunning but there was something more to him that made Roarpaw lean forward with interest. He felt drawn to him. This cat was special to him, he just knew it. He knew it with all of his heart. He just didn't understand how.

All three cats were extraordinary, each one carrying a pelt holding more stars than the night sky. The little lights in their fur complemented them perfectly, somehow making them even more heavenly than they already were. Roarpaw swallowed. These cats were StarClan cats.

The golden tom padded up to him and two sets of amber eyes met. The tom purred a deep, resolute purr. Roarpaw immediately knew he wanted to be like this cat when he grew up. Everything about him radiated glory and greatness. He was so clearly strong and bold but even more it was obvious to Roarpaw that there was kindness, honor, and the need to protect lingering in those amber eyes of his. Roarpaw found himself matching the warrior's purr.

"I'm happy you figured it out," the massive cat told him.

"They didn't figure anything out," the silver tom snapped. Roarpaw jerked out of his daze and looked around to see that the silver tom had approached Vigilstorm and the she-cat had approached Patternheart. The warrior looked just as shocked and moved in her presence as Roarpaw felt with the golden tom. Vigilstorm on the other paw… looked less than thrilled beside the blue eyed tabby. Admiration still shined in his eyes but the two cats both held something that looked like familiarity. The tabby shot Vigilstorm one look before letting out a short breath. "By the stars, it's been moons and only now you've found the three?"

Vigilstorm opened his mouth to defend himself but the she-cat jumped to it faster than he could. "Don't be mean, Jayfeather. It's better than we did. You two were wrong about the third for seasons."

The cat now deemed Jayfeather snorted. "You weren't born yet when we found out about the prophecy. And we knew you were the third pretty much right when you became an apprentice. This cloud chaser's been an apprentice for four moons."

"I'm sorry, prophecy?" Patternheart echoed, tipping his head. Roarpaw stood up a bit straighter with a start. He was right, Jayfeather mentioned a prophecy. What did that mean? What was going on?

"Let's just cut to the chase," Jayfeather said. His blue eyes swept over Roarpaw, Patternheart, and Vigilstorm, barely blinking. "I am the sharp-eyed jay. This is the gentle dove and the roaring lion. You may call us Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Lionblaze. We are- were- the three cats of the kin of your kin prophecy but now, we have decided to pass that honor and power to you."

"I'm sorry, what?" Patternheart asked. He glanced at Vigilstorm. "Is this what…?"

Vigilstorm nodded. "Many, many seasons ago, a ThunderClan leader was given a prophecy foretelling the birth of three cats with the powers of the stars in their paws. Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Lionblaze are those three cats."

"Woah," Roarpaw breathed, somehow becoming more entranced by the star furred cats before him. The power of the stars? Even Roarpaw's wild imagination couldn't fathom that.

"During our time, the Dark Forest was plotting to destroy the clans," Jayfeather continued. "The Three's powers-"

"Four," Lionblaze interrupted. Jayfeather shot him a glare but Lionblaze merely flicked his ear dismissively.

"I was getting to that," Jayfeather hissed. "The prophecy foretold three cats with powers but the prophecy was incomplete and when the time came for the clans to take a stand, we were told to find a fourth."

"Firestar," Dovewing told them. Roarpaw and Patternheart glanced around, expecting to see a fourth StarClan cat but no one appeared. Dovewing snorted in amusement. "He's not here right now. It was Vigilstorm who initiated the dream. We could only join because our heirs were here."

"You mean you did. We're the strongest cats in all of Silverpelt and dreams are my realm. I could bring him here if I wanted to but Firestar's heir should be here when he shows up," Jayfeather grumbled. He sighed and looked up for a heartbeat before resuming. "Anyway, as I was saying, the Four helped the clans defeat the Dark Forest and all the Dark Forest cats were either killed a second time or forced to fade. We thought we'd beaten them but…"

"They're coming back," Lionblaze growled.

"And we can't handle it ourselves," Dovewing finished.

"So these geniuses thought it would be a great idea to extend the prophecy," Vigilstorm added sarcastically, "and share their powers with four choosen living cats so they could deal with the Dark Forest instead."

"Wait, we have powers?" Roarpaw exclaimed excitedly, bouncing on his paws. Lionblaze nodded at him and purred. He opened his mouth to speak but Jayfeather's dry voice interrupted him.

"Were you not paying attention?" Jayfeather sighed. "The whole reason we're having this dream in the first place is that Vigilstorm found the other cats with powers."

"Actually, I didn't tell Roarpaw," Vigilstorm spoke up sheepishly. "Patternheart told me about his and I figured out Roarpaw was the third cat pretty quickly but I was planning on telling them everything tonight."

"You have powers?" Roarpaw asked his mentor. Patternheart nodded slowly. Roarpaw expected him to be a bit more energetic about it. Afterall, Patternheart was an eternal beam of sunshine, always laughing and joking. Right now, he looked like a shell of his cheery self. Roarpaw frowned and tipped his head. "Do you… not like your powers?"

"Hmm? Oh, no," Patternheart assured, shaking his head as if that would cement his words into belief. "I just don't know how I feel about it yet. I guess I knew about them my whole life and always assumed there was something wrong with me. I wasn't really aware of it though you know?"

"I guess." He didn't know. Roarpaw had no idea what Patternheart was saying. Still, he wasn't about to let his mentor's confusion rain on his own happiness. Turning to face Lionblaze, he asked, "So what are my powers?"

Excitement flashed in Lionblaze's eyes. "You're undefeatable in battle and invincible on the battlefield."

Roarpaw's eyes widened. "Really? That's-"

"Awesome? I know, right?" Lionblaze purred before turning serious. "It's easy to forget yourself though. You have these powers to protect other cats. You can't afford to lose yourself to arrogance."

Roarpaw nodded vigorously and forced himself to stand still. "I know. All I want to do is serve my clan and protect my brother. I know realistically it might be tempting to lose my way at some point or another but I know deep down in my heart that I'm strong. I'll make you proud, Lionblaze."

Lionblaze's face lit up and a soft, affectionate expression settled on his face. "I knew I chose a worthy heir."

"What are our powers?" Patternheart asked, glancing between the remaining cats. "I know mine has something to do with hearing. Can Vigilstorm control dreams?"

"The power of the sharp-eyed jay is control of the abstract," Jayfeather explained. "He can walk the dreams and thoughts as freely as he can walk the forest, sense the emotions of others, and maybe one day master the realms of time, Silverpelt, and the path of rebirth. Physically, it's not as useful as the power of the roaring lion or the gentle dove but I doubt Vigilstorm would have much use for those powers. I think I choose the right soul to gift my power to."

Vigilstorm dipped his head. "Thank you, Jayfeather. I hope so too."

"And your powers?" Roarpaw asked, looking between Dovewing and Patternheart.

"The gentle dove can hear anything and everything," Dovewing explained. "Whether it be across camp, in the mountains, in Silverpelt, or in the Dark Forest, we can find the voices and pawsteps of any cat or animal and create a vision of them in our minds."

Once again, Roarpaw was amazed. It shouldn't really be surprising. Afterall, he'd never taken the time to wonder about what kind of powers cats would have if the stars reached out to them. It was all too much. In the back of his mind lingered the thought that this meant that he and his friends had an impossible responsibility waiting for them when they woke up but right now, Roarpaw just wanted to revel in this initial shock and excitement.

"What are these powers for?" Patternheart asked. He shuffled his paws. "I mean, I know that my powers make me a great hunter, Roarpaw's abilities help him as a warrior, and Vigilstorm's duties are probably a bit easier now but why do we have them? How are we supposed to use them to fight the Dark Forest?"

"I doubt this will happen again but when we fought them," Lionblaze explained, "the four clans fought the Dark Forest spirits in the real world, not in dreams or in Silverpelt. My job was to help the physical fight while Dovewing warned the clans, and Jayfeather united StarClan. Firestar was the one to bring the clans together and end the final battle."

"Doesn't that imply we need a fourth cat?" Patternheart asked and got a nod as a response. "And you've chosen one? Who is it?"

"I bet it's Wolfpaw," Roarpaw spoke up. Vigilstorm shot him a skeptical glance. Roarpaw reeled back a bit. He wasn't actually offended, just a bit surprised, but he was always one to make his actions a bit over the top. "What? He's a great cat! He's already fighting the Dark Forest."

"As much as I like your brother, there's nothing special about him," Vigilstorm responded. He paused. "Actually, nevermind. He's the weirdest cat I've met but I don't think that has anything to do with a prophecy. If he had powers, do you think the Dark Forest would think they could get their claws on him?"

"Well then who do you think the fourth cat is, dark and dirty?"

"I think it's Snaketail."

Roarpaw snorted. "Snaketail?"

"He's one of ThunderClan's best warriors," Vigilstorm pointed out.

"Fighting is my thing. And Snaketail's not even naturally good at fighting. I've heard like a dozen stories of how hard he worked to get as good as he is."

"Well, I think it's Longberry," Patternheart piped up. Roarpaw and Vigilstorm whipped their heads around, giving him a deadpan stare. Patternheart looked embarrassed but didn't look away. He just shuffled his paws and offered a bright smile.

"If it helps, Firestar's powers were strong leadership skills and undying willpower," Dovewing offered. "He had the heart and stubbornness to serve the clans with all nine of his lives."

"It's Longberry," Roarpaw sighed.

"See!"

"It could still be Sna-" Vigilstorm stopped and shook his head. "No, you're right. It's Longberry. I've read his mind. That cat is… Great StarClan, every cat thinks he's just serious but that cat's as stubborn as a thistle and as smart as a crow. It's definitely Longberry."

"Can you pull Longberry into this dream?" Patternheart asked Vigilstorm.

Vigilstorm nodded. "Of course. I pulled Roarpaw into yours, didn't I?"

"Nope. No pulling Longberry into this dream," Jayfeather butt in.

Vigilstorm blinked at him. "Why not?"

"Being dead is boring," Lionblaze said with a shrug. "Go talk to him in real life."

Vigilstorm silently stared at him.

"Watching you is fun," Dovewing added. "It's our only source of entertainment."

Vigilstorm continued to look at them skeptically.

"And Longberry won't believe you if you visit in a dream," Jayfeather finally admitted. "I don't really know why Firestar chose him. Firestar always listens with his heart. Longberry always listens with his head. His faith in StarClan is strong but he's very set in his belief that anything to do with StarClan is a medicine cat's business and does not affect him. He'd probably think a dream visit was just a figment of his subconscious and forget about it when he woke up."

"That sounds like Longberry," Patternheart agreed with a nod. "We can talk to him in the morning."

"How long until we wake up?" Roarpaw asked. All the cats looked to Vigilstorm. The dark medicine cat blinked a few times with surprise before shrugging.

Jayfeather sighed. "Just put Roarpaw and Patternheart back in their own dreams. They'll wake up on their own eventually."

* * *

Longberry did not like the way Patternheart was looking at him.

He liked the way Vigilstorm was looking at him even less.

The way Roarpaw was looking at him just made him uncomfortable.

Why in StarClan's name were they staring at him?

Longberry tilted his head, giving the trio a peculiar look. Vigilstorm looked away, embarrassed, while Roarpaw seemed unaffected. Patternheart shot him a happy smile. If he was in the mood for joking, Longberry would have fake gagged. There was too much sunshine in that one exchange.

Ignoring them, Longberry looked to the rest of the clan. Half the clan was gathered around him at the base of the highrock and all of them looked at him expectantly but not in the way Vigilstorm, Patternheart, and Roarpaw were. No, these cats were actually looking at him like he had purpose instead of lingering by the edge of camp like starving vultures. Longberry allowed himself one last glance at them before clearing his throat and addressing the clan.

"Dawn patrols," Longberry called, drawing the attention of any waiting cat who might've gotten distracted. "Four patrols, one at each border and two hunting patrols. Would any cat like to volunteer to lead them?"

A few cats raised their tails. Longberry met the gazes of four cats and nodded to them, prompting them to state their preferences.

"I'd like to patrol by the SkyClan border," Inktail spoke up, whisking his spotted tail.

"And I'd like to take the WindClan border, Lolo," Rushstalk said in his usual infuriatingly passive manner, a hint of a grin on his voice.

"Don't call me that."

"Aw. You know you love me."

Longberry ignored his littermate's antics and looked to the other two cats, Molebriar and Icetooth. "I assume you wanted border patrol as well?"

"Yeah," Molebriar admitted but he didn't look embarrassed or ashamed. "With the clans getting along so well, I was hoping to talk to Stoneskip or Hollowsky of SkyClan. I haven't seen them in awhile."

"Actually, I just wanted to hunt by the Sky Oak," Icetooth spoke up. She angled her ears to her apprentice sitting beside her. "We saw some squirrels over there and I thought Hazelpaw could get in some practice hunting by treetop."

"Then you'll lead the first hunting patrol," Longberry told her. He looked to Molebriar. "You can join Inktrail's patrol. Take Treeshade, Bramblethorn, and Spiderwatcher. Rushstalk, take Leafwillow, Wildheart, and Sunnybrook."

"Who should I take?" Icetooth asked, sitting up a bit straighter as she awaited orders.

"Blazefeather and Hedgepaw," Longberry told her. He glanced around the clan. "... And Echopelt? You've always been a good squirrel-chaser. Do you want to join the patrol?"

"Sure," the mediator responded. He padded up to the apprentices and cuffed Hedgepaw over the ear playfully. "I'll show these 'paws how it's done."

"Snaketail, would you like to take the last patrol?" Longberry asked. The tom nodded and Longberry matched it. "Good. Take whoever you want. We're a bit short on paws at the moment so don't take too long if you can help it. The dens need repairing and I'd like you to oversee that when you get the chance."

"Will do," Snaketail responded gruffly. "Wolfpaw, come on. Antpatch, Leafwillow, join us?"

Both toms murmured confirmation and padded after the patrol leader. Snaketail flicked his tail goodbye to Longberry before padding out with his patrol close. The other three patrol leaders exchanged a few words with their own patrols before following them out of camp.

Longberry let out a long breath, satisfaction flooding over him. He didn't consider himself bossy by any means but he enjoyed giving orders. Orders had to be clear and explicit. None of that useless banter or fluff that filled normal conversation had any place in organizing patrols. Clear and explicit he could do. Banter and fluff, not so much. He was at home standing at the head of the clan. He liked knowing that they trusted him to look to him for guidance and respected him enough to listen. A part of him always scolded himself for feeling that way but he couldn't help it. It just felt right.

But now was the time to step away from the high rock and face the cats that just. Hadn't. Stopped. Staring. Didn't they know how rude that was? Or how weird it seemed? Or how uncomfortable it made Longberry? The deputy knew they probably just wanted to talk to him but it made the hairs on his pelt prickle.

Longberry rose to his paws with a sigh and padded across the clearing to speak with them. "What is it?"

"What's what?" Patternheart asked with a nervous chuckle.

"This," Longberry said, waving his tail to the trio. "You three clearly have some interest in me. What is it you wanted to tell me?"

"Can we leave camp for this?" Vigilstorm asked. Longberry shot him a surprised look, not expecting Vigilstorm of all cats to suggest something like that. Vigilstorm squirmed under his gaze and Longberry felt a bit guilty. That was a lie. No, he didn't. Not after they stared at him the whole time he was organizing dawn patrol. They kind of deserved it.

"Sure," Longberry said and began padding toward the camp's entrance. "There shouldn't be anyone in the main clearing. We could go there."

The journey was made in silence. Longberry didn't know what he was expecting but he thought that they wouldn't wait until they were all the way at the clearing to start talking. Longberry wasn't the best at reading cats but he could tell they were somewhat nervous or at least apprehensive. Well, that was normal for Vigilstorm but even Patternheart and Roarpaw were as silent as stone.

The four cats sat in the clearing in a tight yet distanced circle. Longberry's eyes flickered between them, trying to get an idea of the conversation ahead of him. Patternheart suddenly seemed very interested in a leaf flying overhead and Roarpaw's eyes were fixed on his paws. Vigilstorm's tail was flicking boredly. He was the first to give in.

"Alright. Fine. I'll start," Vigilstorm sighed. He shook out his pelt. "So, Longberry, I'm sure you're wondering why we're here."

"That's an understatement."

Vigilstorm ignored him. "How familiar are you with prophecies?"

Longberry frowned. "As much as the next cat. I always left that sort of thing to you."

"And I thank you for that," Vigilstorm responded with a dip of his head but there wasn't a lot of sincerity in the gesture, "but now I need you to stop leaving it to me because there's something going on. Something big."

Longberry tilted his head ever so slightly. "Did StarClan tell you something?"

"Yes. Well… Not StarClan."

"Wait, not StarClan?" Patternheart interrupted, clearly alarmed. "Then who were we talking to last night?"

"The Four used to be in StarClan," Vigilstorm told him, waving his tail, "but they left because they didn't think they could just have an afterlife of relaxation. Technically, they're mist cats. They just hang around the border of Silverpelt where they can protect StarClan."

"Oh. That's nice."

"As I was saying," Vigilstorm said, looking back to Longberry, "the situation with the Dark Forest is bad. As I'm sure you're aware, the clans fought the Dark Forest before."

"I do not know the details," Longberry informed him.

"Me neither. What I do know is that the stars made a prophecy to help the clans deal with them. The prophecy was believed to be fulfilled but now the Dark Forest is on the rise again," Vigilstorm explained. Longberry nodded as he spoke. He was following so far but he had no idea where this was leading or what it had to do with him. "Four cats were given the power of the stars in their paws. The Four prophesied cats are long gone but they choose four heirs now to take up their legacy and handle the return of the Dark Forest."

Longberry raised an eyebrow. "And you believe we are the four prophesized cats? That we have the power of the stars in our paws? I assure you, nothing like that is possible and I certainly don't have any kind of powers."

"Yeah you do," Roarpaw said, mumbling as if he didn't expect any cat to listen to him. "You just got the lame powers so you didn't notice."

"Roarpaw!" Patternheart scolded, softly slapping his apprentice's shoulder with his tail. "I think Longberry's got the best power. We certainly need it."

"I guess. It's still boring though."

Longberry snorted. "And what is my power supposedly?"

"You've got the power of the great fire. You're the heir of Firestar's power," Vigilstorm told him. "You've got the will and courage to be a great leader."

Longberry scoffed. "You flatter me but that is not a power."

"Legend has it that it was Firestar who ended the great battle by standing up to his lifelong enemy Tigerstar," Roarpaw said with a surprisingly mature tone. "Even if he didn't have invincibility or super senses or mind powers, he had to have Silverpelt's light in him to do that."

Longberry just blinked at him, not believing the ridiculous words leaving Roarpaw's mouth for a heartbeat. He'd always thought Roarpaw was a bit too silly. Always rambling about stories and adventure. He was young so it was understandable but Longberry had hoped he had a warrior's spirit in him. It was starting to look like he was wrong. The apprentice was even more of a mousebrain than he thought.

"Roarpaw's right," Vigilstorm spoke, taking a step a bit closer to Longberry. The warrior resisted the urge to lean away. He liked his personal space. Vigilstorm did too, Longberry remembered. This had to be important if he was forgetting that. "I can feel the same spark of Silverpelt in you that I sense in Roarpaw and Patternheart. Even if you're powers aren't as obvious, you're one of us."

"I can't believe you of all cats is entertaining this!" Longberry exclaimed. He rose to his paws, towering over Vigilstorm. "I thought you were a reasonable cat, Vigilstorm."

To his surprise, Vigilstorm put his ears back and glared. "I am. I've spoken with both StarClan and the Three. I've explored the abilities Jayfeather told me I have and I've seen Patternheart and Roarpaw use theirs with my own eyes. Don't doubt me, Longberry."

Vigilstorm spoke with authority that Longberry didn't think the other cat was capable of. It made him question his decisions and words. Sighing, he ducked his head a bit in a sign of submission. "Fine. Show me your so called powers and I might believe you."

"Fight me!"

Longberry lifted his head and gave Roarpaw an odd look. "What?"

"Fight me," Roarpaw repeated, bouncing on his paws. He ran around in a tight circle, brandishing his tail. "I haven't fought anyone since I found out about my powers. I want to see what I can do!"

"No. No one's fighting anyone. You can go fight your brother or your mentor later," Vigilstorm told him. He looked to Patternheart. "My powers are kind of hard to demonstrate. Are you okay with showing him yours?"

Patternheart blinked a few times. "I guess. What do you want me to do?"

"Just stay here," Vigilstorm told him. He looked to his deputy. "Longberry, go that way and make sure you're too far for us to hear you."

"Okay. And then?"

"I dunno, do something. Dig a hole, climb a tree, anything. And then come back here."

Longberry just stared at Vigilstorm. He was half convinced that Vigilstorm had bees in his brain but Patternheart and Roarpaw seemed to have full faith in his words so he was willing to take a gamble and trust them. "Fine."

Longberry padded away from the group and deep into the forest. Part of his mind just wanted to go home and leave this ridiculousness behind but he thought that would be rude. The quicker he did this, the sooner it would be done.

"Hey Longberry!" a voice called and Longberry looked over to see Wolfpaw standing on a fallen tree. The apprentice's paws were covered in mud but he looked overjoyed nonetheless.

"Hello Wolfpaw," Longberry greeted, padding over. "What are you doing?"

"I'm supposed to be hunting but the lizard I was chasing ran into this log. I found these cool bugs in the bark so I thought I would look at them a bit until the lizard came back out but I don't think it's going to," Wolfpaw explained, chattering rapidly as he jumped off the log. "I already caught a blackbird and you told Snaketail to get back to camp sooner rather than later so I was just thinking about heading back to the rest of the patrol."

"You caught a blackbird?" Longberry asked, glancing around. A few fox lengths away under a bush lay the mentioned prey. "Impressive. It's hard to catch those."

"It was sitting on its nest. I think it was distracted or too worried to notice me," Wolfpaw explained. He pointed with his tail up at a nearby tree. "The nest is up there. There are some eggs up there so I was planning on coming back here with Snaketail, Patternheart, and Roarpaw tomorrow to see if they were okay to eat. I remember you telling me that birds don't lay eggs this late but they don't smell funny so I don't think they're dead. I don't know. I thought Snaketail might."

Longberry let his gaze drift up to the tree, feeling a faint glow of pride that Wolfpaw recalled his lesson. "Do you want me to climb up there? I have something I need to do so I can't help you carry them back but I can tell you if they're okay or not."

"Really?" Wolfpaw's eyes gleamed. "Can I come with you?"

Longberry glanced back at him. "Why? Are you interested in learning how to tell a good egg from a bad one?"

Wolfpaw nodded. "I know cats are supposed to eat squirrels and rabbits and birds and stuff but they're so boring. I like coming home with different kinds of fresh-kill. Everyone always gets so surprised and they always say such nice things. And I like seeing everyone's faces when they try something new! When I brought back fish for the first time, Hedgepaw thought it was gross and she spit it out. That was funny. Leafwillow really liked it though. He was so sad after Mintleaf died. It was nice to see him smile again."

Longberry felt something in his heart soften. "You're good cat, Wolfpaw. Strange but Patternheart always tells me the best cats are. You've got a beautiful heart."

Wolfpaw froze and Longberry worried that he said the wrong thing. Not a heartbeat later, Wolfpaw's face lit up. "Thanks, Longberry. That really means a lot to me."

Longberry purred and the two climbed the tree to look at the bird's nest. As Wolfpaw said, the eggs smelled fine and a quick check for cracks and a short inspection of the shell told them that they were lucky and these eggs had indeed been laid late. Wolfpaw was excited by it and soon departed to tell Snaketail and return to camp but not before retrieving his prey.

Longberry smiled as he left. Wolfpaw was starting to grow on him. Like he said, the cat was strange. Just now he'd been looking at bugs in a log. Longberry could count the number of cats he knew who did that sort of thing on one paw. Still, he clearly cared about his clan and craved to find his place in it. That, Longberry could respect.

As he turned to head back, he remembered Vigilstorm's instructions. Pausing beside the log Wolfpaw stood on, he got on his hind paws and shook it roughly. He heard something rattle inside it, most likely the lizard Wolfpaw had mentioned, but ignored it and headed back to the clearing.

"What took you so long?" Vigilstorm snapped when he appeared again. Longberry started to respond but Vigilstorm held up his tail, silencing him. "Wait, don't answer. I wasn't actually asking. This is part of the test. Patternheart, what did Longberry do?"

"He ran into Wolfpaw," Patternheart said immediately. "Wolfpaw was hunting a lizard but got distracted by some bugs. He and Longberry climbed a tree to look at some blackbird eggs and then Wolfpaw left and Longberry shook the log with two paws and then came back here."

Longberry reeled back, eyes wide. "You… You must have followed me."

"Did you smell my scent?"

Longberry shook his head numbly. How was this possible?

"Patternheart has the power of enhanced hearing. He can hear anything under and beyond Silverpelt," Vigilstorm told him. "That's how he knew what you were doing. Do you believe us now?"

"I think… I think I do," Longberry said slowly. "So I'm your fourth cat? Your fire-willed leader?"

"Woah. Hey, Vigilstorm is leader here. He's the only one who can talk to the cats who gave us these powers and figure out what's going on," Roarpaw said.

Longberry dipped his head. "Of course. What are your powers?"

Vigilstorm quickly explained his and Roarpaw's powers. Longberry had to admit he found them interesting. Vigilstorm could do so much. He could learn anything about any cat and explore realms other cats couldn't dream of. Roarpaw, on the other paw, had powers that broke the definitions of what made sense. He needed no training to be able to fight. It helped, certainly, but wasn't necessary. And he still got hit in battle, the blows just didn't bruise him and the claws couldn't draw blood. It was fascinating and Longberry longed to understand it.

The meaning behind the prophecy was far less alluring. Vigilstorm explained what it meant in detail and it just made Longberry's stomach flip. He didn't like having the knowledge of a coming battle. Cats would be killed and he was supposed to be a leader during that? He knew he wasn't a sensitive cat but he couldn't imagine the weight of so many deaths on his shoulders.

But he wasn't leader. Vinestar was and Longberry would do everything he could to support him in these trying times.

Apparently, Vigilstorm hadn't shared everything with Patternheart and Roarpaw just quite yet and they too needed to be caught up on everything. It was nearing sunhigh by the time the talk ended. Longberry didn't mind that they were away from camp for so long but he wished he had a bit more time left in the day. He wouldn't call this meeting time wasted but it was far from what he'd consider productive. He still had many things to do before it was time to curl up for the night in the warrior's den.

As they neared camp, Patternheart's pace increased. "Something's wrong."

"What?" Longberry asked, alarmed.

Patternheart didn't turn to face him, just breaking into a run. "I don't know. I just know it's quiet. Too quiet."

"A lot of cats went out this morning," Roarpaw offered hesitantly.

"They would be back by now," Vigilstorm pointed out and the group broke into a run.

When they burst through the entrance, Longberry wasn't expecting to see the camp trashed and his clanmates scattered across the clearing, bleeding and battered. He froze, eyes growing wide as he took in the sight.

He didn't have time to properly respond. Snaketail was padding up to them in an instant. "Where have you be- You know what? It doesn't matter. Vigilstorm, go help our clanmates. Patternheart, Roarpaw, do whatever he tells you."

"Right," the two said in unison.

"They need cobwebs," Vigilstorm said, springing into action. "Roarpaw, you know where I keep my spiders. Go get as much cobweb as you can carry and bring it here. Go back and don't stop until you have all of it. Run to WindClan and get Shinestripe and Snailpaw once you're done. Their den should have more herbs and I need the extra paws."

Roarpaw nodded, looking scared but undaunted by the task, and ran off as Vigilstorm and Patternheart rushed over to Thymestalk who was bleeding heavily from her leg.

Snaketail faced Longberry, yellow eyes sharp and intimidating. He didn't look angry but Longberry knew that if he did, he deserved it. "What happened to the clan, Snaketail?"

"The Others attacked," Snaketail growled. "Inktail's patrol reported that the scent markers were stale. I think the Others drove out SkyClan like they did ShadowClan and they tried to do the same to us."

"Wha… How did you protect the camp?"

"They were injured. SkyClan must've put up a good fight. We got lucky. SkyClan didn't," Snaketail told him. He sighed and looked down at his paws. Dirt and blood stained his dark fur. Longberry wanted to press against his side and comfort him but he knew now was not the time.

"Thank you for taking charge," Longberry told him, trying to squeeze every bit of honesty and genuinity into his tone. He needed Snaketail to know how grateful he was.

"I shouldn't have had to."

"I know. I'm so sorry I wasn't here."

Snaketail sighed. "Where were you anyway?"

"I wasn't even that far," Longberry replied guiltily. "We learned something from StarClan and were just discussing it. Speaking of which, I should probably tell Vinestar. Where is he? I don't see him."

Snaketail suddenly looked very, very broken.

Worry flooded Longberry's chest. "Snaketail? What happened to Vinestar? Is he okay?"

"Longberry… Vinestar's dead."


	12. The Will of Fire Stands in Starlight

"No," Longberry said sharply, shaking his head. "I can't. I don't deserve it."

"Longberry, the clan has been leaderless for three sunrises," Vigilstorm said patiently though Longberry was positive he was annoyed by the older tom's behavior. "The clan needs a leader. If you're not ready to go to the Moonpool, that's fine but you can't flat out say that-"

"I won't be ThunderClan's new leader."

Vigilstorm sighed. "That. Longberry, you're the deputy and you've got Firestar's will in your blood. There's no cat that can be leader except you."

"Snaketail."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"He was here when the Others attacked," Longberry interrupted, sinking his claws into the ground. "He was more loyal to Vinestar than any other cat. He was with him when he died. Vinestar wasn't even on his last life, how terrible were his wounds for him to die? And I wasn't even there for him. It was Snaketail who watched over him when he went to StarClan and led the clan when there was no one else there. He deserves StarClan's nine lives, not me."

Vigilstorm sighed. "You're not to blame, Longberry. It was me who asked you to leave and as the clan's medicine cat, I should have been here. I might've been able to save Vinestar."

Longberry stared at him for a few seconds with shock before shaking his head. "No, Vigilstorm, you're not to blame. You can't-"

"I know in my head that no cat is to blame except the Others but knowing and believing are different. In my heart, I really feel that…" Vigilstorm trailed off and let out a long, slow breath. Violet eyes met blue and Longberry nearly flinched. Vigilstorm had so much emotion swimming in his eyes. Longberry didn't understand how the medicine cat could take it. Vigilstorm sighed. "Let's talk about this later, okay? Right now we need to focus on getting ThunderClan a leader."

"I know in my head that I'm the logical choice but in my heart, I don't believe I deserve it or trust myself to be the cat ThunderClan needs," Longberry told him, stealing the younger tom's words. "Vigilstorm, I don't know if I can be responsible for all these cats."

"How do you think I felt when Frostbark died?" Vigilstorm asked suddenly. This time, Longberry did flinch.

"Pardon?"

"I've been in your paws before, Longberry. Frostbark was my mentor. We worked side by side every day and she really was one of my closest friends. Losing her tore me apart but I had to put the clan first. I was younger and less experienced than you when I had to take my new name and title. Believe me, Longberry, I was scared. I thought it would be seasons before I had to watch over the clan alone."

Longberry tried to ignore the guilty feeling bubbling up from his belly. How could he forget Vigilstorm's grief? His mentor had been murdered in front of him and he'd been unable to save her. He'd lost his denmate and the cat he trusted to guide his pawsteps. It was as unexpected as Vinestar's death but to Vigilstorm, the change was even harsher and the pain had to be just as bad, if not worse. It was selfish for him to act like this when Vigilstorm suffered so much more. A wave of self-directed loathing suddenly washed over him. Longberry hated himself for his weakness. He was a warrior and a good one but he was too yellow bellied to face his responsibility.

Vigilstorm wasn't finished. "But, I realized that I'm not alone. I had my friends and kin. But, they couldn't help me heal my clanmates. You, Longberry, are even less alone than I was. Like you said, Snaketail is a strong warrior. If you choose him as your deputy, he'll help you lead the clan."

"That's true," Longberry murmured, feeling a little bit better.

"As your medicine cat, I will always support you and I know that your warriors will too," Vigilstorm continued. He took a step forward and gently rubbed against his friend. "I know that little voice in your head is telling you that you're not worthy and reminding you of every little flaw you have but no cat's perfect. You'll be a fantastic leader, Longberry."

"Okay," Longberry whispered. He lapped Vigilstorm's ear. "Okay, I'll do it. I'll be ThunderClan's leader."

Vigilstorm's eyes lit up and he purred. "I knew you'd come around."

* * *

Longberry had never been to the Moonpool but he had to say that the view alone made him question his decision to stay away from anything related to StarClan. Tonight, fittingly, was a claw-moon and dark, angry clouds covered the sky. If not for the lone, thin moonbeam breaking through to strike the clear waters of the Moonpool, Longberry would've turned around and gone home. Part of him wondered if StarClan was upset with him but Vigilstorm assured him that was not the case.

"Are you ready?" Vigilstorm asked as the pair settled down beside the water. Longberry couldn't look away. The water seemed to glow, almost ablaze with moonlight, and Longberry couldn't figure out why. Endless theories ran through his head only to be slapped away. This was StarClan's power. Longberry knew his place. He couldn't question these things.

Longberry nodded numbly. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Good. Just reach down and lap the water or put your muzzle in it," Vigilstorm instructed. "When you open your eyes, you'll be in StarClan."

Longberry nodded. He took an apprehensive breath through his nose before curling his tongue and taking a sip from the pool. For a heartbeat, a cool sensation enveloped his muzzle and his vision went black.

As fast as it came, the darkness was gone and replaced with a searing white. Longberry tried to turn his head and protect his eyes only to find he couldn't move. Panic seized his heart and he tried to struggle against the invisible claws keeping him still but eventually, his own mind pushed away the feeling and forced him to get his thoughts back together. Vinestar had told him about this, briefly, so many moons ago. Before he could be given nine new lives, his old one had to be stripped away.

Longberry could feel it. It felt like the soul that had always inhabited his body was painfully being wretched from his body. And it burned. The corners of the deepest parts of him were turning to ash and melting away. If he could, he probably would have yowled. It hurt more than he could have imagined.

Finally, there was one last tug and the sensation left him. Longberry gasped, sudden weakness overtaking him. A shoulder caught him before he could hit the grass. Longberry blinked a few times, trying to identify the cat beside him.

"It won't be much longer," Vigilstorm murmured in his ear and recognition flashed in Longberry's mind. That was right, it was Vigilstorm at his side. Longberry softly nuzzled him before pushing away. He had to stand on his own tonight.

Now that he was finally in control of himself, Longberry could take in his surroundings. He stood in a long stretch of grass that had no horizon. It confused him and normally he would have taken the time to ponder it if not for the sight of the cats approaching.

Nine forms padded forward until they stood in some kind of half circle around him. Longberry didn't recognize any at first but eventually his eyes fell on the cat he wanted to see more than any other. "Vinestar!"

The former ThunderClan leader purred, eyes full of love and affection, as he stepped forward. He stopped just mouselengths in front of him and Longberry's heart screamed for him to run up to his beloved leader and curl up against him until the sun went away. He knew he couldn't though. Vinestar was long gone and he needed to be strong if he was going to survive without him.

"Are you ready to receive your nine lives?" Vinestar asked. Emotion swelled up in Longberry's throat and he found he couldn't speak. Instead, he merely nodded. Vinestar smiled softly and took a step back.

The cat that took his place was a smoky grey she-cat with blue eyes that looked almost just like Longberry's own eyes. She looked up at him with soft features and smiled. "My name is Cinderpelt. I was Firestar's apprentice until I was hit by a monster and had to follow the path of a medicine cat. With this life, I give you acceptance. Use it well to find peace with decisions out of your control and understand the world as it is."

Cinderpelt touched his head and Longberry felt like he'd been struck with a lightning bolt of hot, red fire. It shot through him, clinging to his bones and burned his insides. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, expecting to feel overheated, but he instead felt icy claws pierce his skin. Confusion whirled through pain but he felt strangely calm. Whatever was happening, there was nothing he could do about it and he was okay with it.

By the time the pain died and he opened his eyes, a silver and white tabby was standing where Cinderpelt was mere moments ago. "My name is Ivypool. I was a spy during the clans' first battle with the Dark Forest. With this life, I give you truth. Use it to see with clarity and stay honest with yourself."

When Ivypool pressed her muzzle against Longberry's forehead, white energy exploded in his chest. He stumbled and gasped but managed to remain on his paws. Was this the power of truth? His eyes went wide, the power within him reflecting on the surface. It was so potent and pure. He tried to widen his stance to keep him from staggering. The touch wasn't painful like the last one but it was overwhelming in a way he hadn't expected.

Ivypool turned away and a large ginger tom with even larger white paws approached him. "My name is Thunderstar. I don't think I need to tell you who I am. With this life, I give you confidence. Doubt and uncertainty can be a strong cat's biggest weakness. Don't hesitate to follow your heart, Longberry."

Thunderstar had to duck a bit to give Longberry the life. The moment contact was made, Longberry felt like he could reach the stars. A deep roar echoed in his chest and adrenaline flooded to his limbs. He felt like he could run any distance, fight any cat, tackle any problem. Confidence… It felt completely foreign. Was he really that insecure? No, Longberry knew he wasn't. He knew what confidence felt like. This was on a whole different level.

Thunderstar was replaced by a smaller, sleeker tom with fur so dark it was almost black. He looked up at Longberry with sharp eyes and rested his muzzle on him, passing a life and StarClan's power to him. "I'm Crowfeather, one of the cats who guided the clans to the lake. With this life, I give you humility. You're a great cat, Longberry, but you can't afford to forget that you have as many flaws and imperfections as any other cat. Keep your friends close and they'll carry you when you fall."

Longberry's knees buckled as a weight heavier than the forest came down on him. He dug his claws into the ground, trying not to come crashing down under the pressure. It suddenly became very difficult to breathe and Longberry's breaths became short and rapid. He lowered his head like he was showing submission only to regain the ability to hold them up a heartbeat later. Longberry swallowed, swaying on his paws a bit. He always tried to look at cats as they were but he knew that he could be blind to himself at times. He could afford to give into humility a bit more.

A solid grey tom offered Longberry a smile as he stepped before him. "My name is Graystripe. I was Firestar's best friend during our lifetime. With this life, I give you compassion. Your friends and kin are your world. Make sure they know that. Show them everything you feel for them."

A rush of feeling shot up from Longberry's heart. He flinched back, his front paws going as far as lifting a mouselength off the ground, and nearly threw himself backward at Graystripe's touch. His body trembled, the sheer love surging up in him unbearable. This was why he avoided feelings. They were overwhelming… But maybe they weren't so bad. This feeling, this love, it felt good. Was this the love he felt for his brothers and friends? If it was, Longberry regretted locking away his heart. They deserved to feel every last droplet of love rushing through him.

Graystripe smirked at him and turned away, nodding in acknowledgement to a dark tom as they passed each other. The new cat came to a stop in front of Longberry and eyed him carefully. "My name is Skywatcher. I was the last descendent of the original SkyClan. With this life, I give you endurance. Use it well to lead your clan through rough times and keep your head held high when you don't think you can."

Numb exhaustion washed over the tall warrior. Longberry's eyelids felt very heavy and he felt his head dip like he was going to fall asleep. The lure of slumber was tempting but he shook himself, pushing it away. Now was not the time. He needed to be strong. Everyone was counting on him. His own pain and discomfort didn't matter. He could power through it for the sake of his clan.

The reddish tom that followed Skywatcher walked with a swagger that Longberry had never seen in any cat. His green eyes seemed to glimmer when he came to a stop to greet Longberry. "Hey there! The name's Foxleap. I give you a life for humor. The ability to bring up a cat's spirits is a special one. Don't look down on a cat for their eccentrics or quirks. Being able to laugh is what keeps a cat from losing himself to the weight of the world."

A warm liquid injected itself into Longberry's bones and the heat in his belly made it bubble up into his chest and fill his bones. He was suddenly very light. He stretched his neck upward and stood on his toes as something from above pulled at the hairs on his pelt. He tilted his head back and a rumble formed in his chest. He felt amazing, like all his fears and stress had been washed away. Love for his brother Rushstalk, appreciation for his friend Patternheart, and affection for the apprentice Roarpaw wormed into his belly. They were the cats who knew how to lift him up when he was down. Cats like Snaketail and Vinestar may walk at his side and give him the support he needed but it was those cats who kept his serious outlook from crushing him and destroying him from the inside.

A dark brown tabby tom tried to catch his eye when it was his turn to give Longberry a life. Longberry shook out his pelt and met his gaze. He was beyond tired at this point. Each life passed onto him just seemed to drain him even more than the last. He only had two left. He hoped he could take it.

"My name is Dustpelt. With this life, I give you the skill and love needed to mentor and care for young cats," Dustpelt said as he placed his nose on Longberry's head. "Use this life well to teach and nurture the kits and apprentices of your clan. The young are the future and under your guidance, they can make ThunderClan greater than any other."

Longberry expected to feel a rush of love again but this time, pain shot through him like he'd been struck. Invisible blow after blow rained down on him, forcing him to take a step back. Longberry turned his head, thrashing him back and forth. What was attacking him? The young of the future? No, that wasn't right. Was he protecting him? Slowly, the jolts of pain ended but he knew the life hadn't finished settling into him yet. A warm feeling filled his body. He recognized this feeling. It was the one he felt when Wolfpaw told him he remembered his lesson about the black bird eggs. Longberry smiled at the memory.

Finally, Longberry was ready to receive his last life. He couldn't help but purr when Vinestar returned to him. The former leader looked so proud and happy when his eyes fell on him. Longberry wasn't sure if he deserved it but it made him want to pour everything he had into the role Vinestar had left for him. He was going to be leader of ThunderClan and he was going to do his best. For Vinestar's sake.

"With this life, I give you judgement and the ability to make the right decision," Vinestar told him, putting his muzzle on top of Longberry's head. "You're a wise cat, Longberry, and you've got a beautiful heart and strong instincts. Listen to yourself and you'll know what to do."

Once again, Longberry felt very heavy but this time it felt like the weight was inside of him and trying to push outward and break free of his physical form. His head snapped up painfully and his tail rose like he was being suspended in the air. Fire roared in his chest and he felt the power within him spread to every part of his body. He gasped and that was when he knew. He was...

"I hail you by your new name: Longstar," Vinestar announced, voice echoing across the field and through the surrounding trees. "Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you guardianship of ThunderClan. Defend it well, care for the young and the old, honor your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code, and live each life with pride and dignity."

"Longstar! Longstar! Longstar!"

Longstar reveled in the chanting, pride resonating in him. Any lingering doubts and insecurities were muted for the moment and replaced with joy and certainty. He'd be able to do this. StarClan saw him worthy and he would do his best to live up to their expectations.

He looked over his shoulder to where Vigilstorm was waiting. Affection and content danced in the dark tom's violet eyes. He offered him a smile. "I welcome you, Longstar."

* * *

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Sit still."

"You're not a medicine cat, Patternheart."

"But Vigilstorm told me to cover for him while he and Longberry were gone and even I can tell a torn dressing from a fresh one. Now sit still so I can fix it."

"I promise everything is fine, Patternheart."

"And we both know promises don't mean a lot to you. You're a good liar, Snaketail, but I can see right through you. And you're not fooling anyone with your ear bleeding like that."

Snaketail sighed and looked away, giving in. He didn't want to see the flash of victory in Patternheart's eyes. "Fine. Fix the dressing."

The clan's recovery was sluggish at best. Save Vinestar, no cat was actually killed but plenty of cats were injured. The clans' alliance benefitted ThunderClan greatly and Vigilstorm was able to get some help from the RiverClan and WindClan medicine cats but the knowledge that the number of medicine cats was almost halves still lingered over them. The clans still hadn't gotten the chance to discuss the loss of yet another clan.

Vinestar's death hit Snaketail harder than any cat. He didn't know why. He'd always been closer to him than any other cat and Vinestar had more than earned his eternal and undying loyalty early on in their friendship. He loved him like the brother he'd never had and looked up to him like he'd put the stars in the sky. Snaketail kept padding forward for the sake of the clan but even his lies couldn't cover up the fact he was hurting.

He found some solace knowing that Longberry, Vigilstorm, Roarpaw, and Patternheart were uninjured. Vigilstorm was able to heal the clan and he had the aid of Patternheart and his apprentice. Longberry was physically strong enough to set aside his grief and guilt and lead the clan in a way Snaketail never could and he was grateful for that. Part of him had been angry that the four toms weren't home in ThunderClan's time of need but he'd long since forgiven them. He couldn't stay upset with his friends for long.

At the moment, Patternheart and Snaketail were sitting in the medicine den. Patternheart said nothing as he used his teeth to peel off the old cobwebs. Snaketail flinched a bit but didn't protest as Patternheart replaced it with a new wrapping.

"There we go. Not as good as Vigilstorm would do but it'll stop the bleeding a bit," Patternheart said once he'd finished, stepping back. He let out an uncharacteristically sad sigh. "I wish I'd been there. Maybe I could've done something."

"Hey, don't talk like that, Pat. You didn't know and if you'd been here, you would've just gotten hurt too. Maybe even killed. Then you wouldn't be here patching me up, now would you?" Snaketail told him softly. Patternheart looked up and giggled. Snaketail put his ears back, ignoring the tug of the dressings. "What? I'm not that bad at comforting, am I?"

Patternheart looked up, eyes alight with high spirits. "You called me Pat."

"And?" Snaketail knew they weren't really on a nickname basis but it wasn't that uncommon for cats to call each other things like that. Shortening cats' names was actually pretty normal. Wolfpaw called his brother Ro sometimes and Roarpaw had an endless supply of names for both Roarpaw and Vigilstorm. Was this really that different? Oh StarClan, had Snaketail messed up just now? He and Patternheart were good friends even though their friendship was a bit rocky at times. Had he ruined it?

Patternheart's face said otherwise. "You called me Pat then said I'm _pat_ching you up!"

Snaketail felt a wave of relief wash over him but he still scowled to keep up appearances. "You know that's not what I meant!"

Patternheart flicked his ear dismissively. "It was way too deliberate and it worked too well for that to be an accident."

Snaketail growled in mock anger which only made Patternheart laugh again. Snaketail dropped his snarl in defeat and waved his tail. "Fine. Whatever. You win."

"What do I win? Was I arguing?"

Snaketail snorted. "You're hopeless, you know that?"

Patternheart opened his mouth to reply then suddenly became distracted by something outside. "Vigilstorm and Longberry are back."

"You mean Longstar," Snaketail corrected, rising to his paws.

"You know we can't call him that until we know for certain," Patternheart reminded as the pair padded out of the den. "I'm sure you're right though."

Snaketail and Patternheart met up with their apprentices and Vigilstorm and sat at the base of the high rock with their clanmates before Longberry even reached it. The former deputy shot Snaketail a smile before leaping up to his place to address the clan. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the high rock for a clan meeting!"

Longberry's voice carried across the camp, drawing out any cats who hadn't noticed his arrival. Soon, the entire clan sat around him.

"StarClan has given me my nine lives and title as leader," Longberry told them, holding himself tall. "I am now Longstar, leader of ThunderClan."

"Longstar! Longstar! Longstar!"

It was Snaketail's voice that initiated the chant. His yellow eyes glowed as they looked up at the new leader and Longberry looked right back at him.

"I'm terribly sorry that I wasn't here during the attack and I promise to make up for that. Vinestar left me the clan and I will not disappoint him or you with my leadership," Longstar vowed. "Now, it's time for me to name ThunderClan's new deputy."

Snaketail exchanged a glance with Patternheart. He was fairly certain that Patternheart would be chosen. Vinestar and Longstar were such a fantastic pair because of how they complemented each other. Longstar was brilliantly minded but lost sight of his heart at times. Patternheart had the same beautiful heart as Vinestar. He was the obvious choice.

"I say these words before StarClan so the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice," Longberry began. He looked down at the cats around him, eyes locking with Snaketail once more. "The new deputy of ThunderClan is Snaketail."

The clan exploded into congratulatory yowls but Snaketail didn't hear them. Numb shock struck him like a falling tree and all he could hear was his own blood roaring in his ears. "Wha… What? Why me?"

Longstar leaped off the high rock and padded up to him. "You're an amazing warrior, Snaketail, and an even better friend. There's no cat I'd trust more to lead at my side."

"But why not Patternheart? Or a more experienced warrior?" Snaketail asked. He'd only been a warrior for a season cycle. He hadn't even finished mentoring his first apprentice. Why was Longstar trusting him? Lowering his voice, he added, "And what about the Dark Forest? They have their claws on me."

Longstar shook his head. "That doesn't matter. I do not regret my choice and I will not change it. I have full faith in you, Snaketail. Will you be my deputy?"

Snaketail gaped at him for a moment, eyes wide. He felt nothing for a heartbeat before a purr rumbled up from his chest and a warm, happy feeling flooded his body. He had his doubts but what cat didn't? Longstar, his friend and leader, didn't care and he said he had faith in him. He trusted him. That was all Snaketail ever wanted. "I think so. Yes, I will be your deputy."


	13. And the Icy Stage is Set

When Roarpaw woke up, he felt cold. Faintly in the back of his mind, he was aware that he shouldn't be feeling this cold and he should be worried but he wasn't awake enough for the thoughts to complete and he just snuggled further into the warm moss of his nest. He opened his eyes briefly, blinking tiredly, before burying his nose, trying to cover as much fur as possible.

Suddenly he felt something freezing on his back, freezing and wet. He let out a yowl of surprise and leaped out of his nest, trying to get away from the cold attacking him. Almost immediately, he heard rough purring and whipped around to see his brother laughing his head off.

"Wolfpaw!" he growled, taking a step threateningly towards him. "What did you do? What was that?"

Wolfpaw danced around him and darted out of the den. "Come outside! Come outside! It's so beautiful!"

Roarpaw hesitated. He and Wolfpaw had very different ideas of beauty and he wasn't sure if he wanted to see what Wolfpaw was talking about but curiosity got the better of him and he followed him outside. White flooded his vision and for a moment, he thought he'd gone blind only to realize that this wasn't his eyes playing tricks on him. The camp really looked like this.

A blanket of white had settled over the camp during the night. It covered the tops of the dens, the earth at their paws, and even the highest branches of the surrounding trees. Roarpaw's jaw dropped in wonder and he realized he could see his breath. It startled him for a moment and he reeled back a bit, blinking at it, before smiling and trying again. Wolfpaw soon joined him, both toms letting out soft puffs of air.

His attention was back on the white stuff soon enough. Hesitantly, he touched it with one paw and flinched as the cool, crystal-like substance hit the surface of his pads. He withdrew it and exchanged a glance with his brother. Wolfpaw looked just as confused as he was but his eyes were shining with excitement. The world had completely transformed and it was stunning.

"What happened?" Roarpaw asked once he found his voice. He almost asked where they were but he still recognized the dens and trees around him. They were still home. Everything was just different.

Wolfpaw shrugged and took a leap forward, landing paw deep in the cold white stuff that surrounded them. "I dunno. I just woke up and it was all so bright. I thought you'd like this white stuff so I threw some at your nest."

Roarpaw put his ears back. "It was so warm in my nest! You ruined it!"

Wolfpaw didn't look the least bit ashamed. "I needed you to get your lazy tail up, you dormouse! Isn't this so awesome? I wanted you to see it."

"Okay, fine," Roarpaw grumbled. "I'm glad I got up. But really, what is this stuff?"

"It's snow," Hazelpaw, one of Wolfpaw and Roarpaw's denmates, said as he pulled himself out of his nest and padded to join the brothers at the den's entrance. Hazelpaw's sister Hedgepaw joined them, barely blinking at the new wonderland before them. Roarpaw didn't understand. Had they seen it before? How were they not more excited?

"Snow comes down from the sky when it gets cold," Hedgepaw explained. She shivered. "It's nice to look at I suppose but it's cold and it gets your fur wet if you stand in it too long. It snowed a few moons before you two were born. You're lucky you haven't seen it until now."

"Why?" Wolfpaw asked. Roarpaw nodded in agreement. Why wouldn't they want to experience snowfall? "It's so pretty."

"Well yeah but- did you not hear what I just said? It's cold and uncomfortable."

"So we go inside after we look at it," Roarpaw concluded. He didn't understand why Hedgepaw was complaining so much. It didn't seem that bad.

Hedgepaw sighed. "Just wait until you have to hunt in this stuff. It's impossible."

"If it snowed just before we were born, then you were too young to hunt in it," Wolfpaw pointed out, running back into the snow covered camp and leaving deep pawprints behind him. "Don't act like you know everything."

Hazelpaw snickered while Hedgepaw huffed, her breath coming out as a short puff in the cool air. "Whatever. Just go find your mentors."

Roarpaw stuck her tongue out at her before running after Wolfpaw, stepping onto the snow for the first time. It broke and fell under his paws, nearly making him trip in surprise, but he got used to it quickly and soon joined his brother in romping across camp. Momentarily distracted, Roarpaw chased Wolfpaw in circles, both purring and laughing, before tackling him to the ground.

"Get off me you fleabag!" Wolfpaw laughed, rolling onto his back to batter Roarpaw in the face with sheathed paws. Snow clung to his whiskers, making him look ridiculous. Roarpaw batted them with one paw, making them fall off and Wolfpaw scowl. "Hey!"

Roarpaw put his paws on his shoulders, making sure to avoid putting too much pressure on them. They were just playing, not need to treat this like an actual fight. They sparred in training enough. "You've been bested by Roarpaw of LionClan! Admit defeat, LeopardClan cat."

Wolfpaw's green eyes lit up with intrigue now that he knew the game they were playing. "Never! Not while my TigerClan allies still breathe!"

Roarpaw looked up, expecting to see Vigilstorm standing off to the side. Afterall, the medicine cat always said TigerClan was the best. Roarpaw did not expect to be barrelled by four tiny forms. He felt furry bodies hit his pelts and he threw himself off Wolfpaw dramatically. "Oof! Oh no! What will I do against the brave kits of TigerClan?"

"Tiger kits are called cubs," Sagekit corrected as she pounced on Roarpaw's belly. Roarpaw groaned a bit at the weight on the softer part of his body and gently pawed her, moving her up to his chest. Dottail's kits were young, still young enough to get badger rides and climb on older cats without hurting them. About a moon had passed since Longstar's rise to leadership and the end of leaf-fall and the kits' were getting stronger each day. Leaf-bare was not the ideal time to have small kits in the camp but Roarpaw loved having them around nonetheless. Hazelpaw and Hedgepaw were no fun and Wolfpaw and Roarpaw loved having some new cats to join their games.

"You're right. My bad," Roarpaw said as Sagekit batted his nose. He did little more than blink but a yelp escaped his lips when Cobblekit bit his tail. "Hey! Careful!"

"Not until you admit defeat!" Cobblekit said, putting more of his tail in his mouth. It was clear that this time he was careful to avoid using his teeth and for that Roarpaw was grateful.

"A LionClan warrior never admits defeat," Roarpaw declared. Dramatically, he waved his paws in Sagekit's face. She squealed and reared up, swiping back at him, before throwing herself off his chest and into the snow. Roarpaw got to his paws and pretended to roar. "No one will ever beat me!"

"Not if I, Wolfpaw of LeopardClan, can help it!" Wolfpaw said with a glint of mischief as he took a step towards his brother. "TigerClan! Attack!"

The four kits squealed and suddenly, four sets of paws were dangling off his flank. Roarpaw pretended to struggle to stay up before buckling his knees and falling over. Neetlekit and Pikekit clambered onto his back while Cobblekit went after his tail again and Sagekit perched on his neck.

"I've been pinned!" Roarpaw yowled theatrically.

Wolfpaw purred and sat in front of him, putting a silver paw on his head. "Will you admit defeat, LionClan warrior?"

"To a leopard and a bunch of tigers?"

"We have you outnumbered. You may have bested me but you have no hope of escaping the claws of these tiger cubs."

Roarpaw groaned. "Very well. I admit defeat. Don't forget this day, tiger cubs. Roarpaw of LionClan will be back!"

"And we'll beat you again!" Sagekit boasted, jumping off his back. Her littermates slid down after her and bundled over to Wolfpaw. "We did it, Wolfpaw! We beat the nasty lion!"

"Ah-ha! Plot twist! Wolfpaw the leopard was the real villain all along! I tricked out into beating my greatest enemy and LionClan's greatest hero!" Wolfpaw exclaimed. He slammed his paws into the snow, sending up a shower. The kits squealed and skittered back to take refuge behind Roarpaw. Wolfpaw threw his head back and laughed maniacally. Roarpaw had to say, his brother had a good evil laugh. He always loved playing the villain in their games and imaginary worlds as kits. StarClan, when was the last time they messed around like this? It felt like it had been so long.

"Roarpaw, save us!" Neetlekit begged, putting his paws on Roarpaw's shoulder. "Save us before the evil leopard eats us!"

Roarpaw threw himself back and flopped down in the snow. "I cannot! You've injured me too badly to keep fighting. I need the magic paws of a cat worthy of StarClan's blessing to save me."

"Where can we find a cat like that?" Pikekit asked. Her face twisted with concern. For a moment, Roarpaw was worried that she was actually scared but her mouth betrayed her. The hints of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. He nearly purred. He was a good actor. "None of us know how to save you!"

"Go to your clanmate, the bravest tiger of all of the Great Clans," Roarpaw told her. He coughed and rolled onto his back. "I have only a few heartbeats left and only the hero of the dark and stormy night can save me. Pikekit, you must get Vigilstorm. Your siblings will ward off the monster Wolfpaw but it's you who will bring me the tiger I need."

Pikekit nodded seriously. "Cobblekit! Start digging up snow to make a barrier. Sagekit and Needlekit will protect you."

"Nothing can save you from my might!" Wolfpaw growled, leaning forward intimidatingly. He swept his paws over the ground, sending up another wave of snow. Cobblekit cried out and quickly began digging, making a barrier of snow. It wasn't nearly tall enough to protect Roarpaw but the apprentice still found it adorable and rolled back over to scoot behind it.

Sagekit and Needlekit started making snowballs and hurling them at Wolfpaw. They hit his fur with loud slaps. Wolfpaw snapped at them, managing to catch one in his mouth. Roarpaw tried his best to stay in character and not laugh but it was too funny. Wolfpaw looked ridiculous.

Roarpaw glanced over in the direction of the medicine den to see how far Pikekit had gotten. He wanted Vigilstorm to get in on the game but he knew the older tom was prone to panicking. He didn't want him to think something was actually wrong. Thankfully, Vigilstorm was already lingering by the entrance of the den, watching the kits and apprentices play. He looked surprised when Pikekit came up to him and asked for his help. For a heartbeat, Roarpaw thought he was going to say no but he charged into the snowball fight after Pikekit with a smile on his face.

"Vigilstorm of TigerClan is here!" Vigilstorm announced as he trotted over. "Where is the brave lion who needs my help?"

"Over here!" Cobblekit called, waving his tail. "We accidentally attacked Roarpaw. We need his help to save us from the evil leopard Wolfpaw!"

Vigilstorm sat back on his haunches and waved his paws in the air theatrically before placing them on Roarpaw's shoulder. "With the power bestowed in me by the stars that watch over my clan, I restore your strength. Now, go kick that leopard's tail!"

Roarpaw let out a mrowr and exploded out of the snow. Wolfpaw yelped as his brother crashed into him. Roarpaw swatted him in the face and Wolfpaw turned his face, exposing his neck as a sign of surrender. "I submit! I know I have no hope of standing up against Roarpaw if he's got TigerClan at his side!"

A voice cheered but it wasn't any of the cats rolling around in the clearing. Roarpaw looked up to see Patternheart watching them from the high rock with Snaketail. Roarpaw felt his pelt heat up with embarrassment. Had his mentor and deputy really seen him mess around like a kit? Roarpaw exchanged a glance with Vigilstorm to see that the darker tom looked just as humiliated.

"Well, that was fun," Vigilstorm announced before leaning down to nose Needlekit out of the hole in the snow he'd fallen into. "You four should be getting back to your den to warm up. You're too little to stay out for too long. You'll catch a cold."

The kits whined and complained, protesting the entire time that Vigilstorm lead them back to their nursery. Dottail was waiting for them and immediately began licking any lingering snow off their fur as she shuffled them back inside.

"That was too precious," Patternheart declared as he padded up to Wolfpaw and Roarpaw. Wolfpaw had a lot of snow caught in his messy fur. Roarpaw went to his side to help him get it out before remembering how difficult it was to get his brother's fur even remotely neat and gave up.

"You two are nearly grown cats," Snaketail pointed out, disapproval in his gaze.

"Which means we need to have fun before we're too busy doing the boring stuff to mess around," Wolfpaw said matter-of-factly. Their eyes locked for a few heartbeats before Snaketail gave in and sighed. He turned like he was going to pad away only to whip around. He scooped up a pawful of snow and sent it flying, nailing Wolfpaw right in the cheek. Wolfpaw was too stunned to react.

Roarpaw broke into laughter. "I knew you had it in you, you old snake!"

Snaketail chuckled. "Well, I'm not that much older than Vigilstorm and he's young enough to join your games, isn't he? But that's enough of that for now. I sent out dawn patrols a while ago but I didn't send anyone to the SkyCla- er, the Others' border so we're going out that way."

Roarpaw and Wolfpaw sobered up. "Just the four of us or are we taking someone else?"

"Antpatch and Treeshade are working on the dens," Snaketail told them. "They'll be joining us. I know six cats is kind of a lot for a border patrol but we can't be too careful."

"Right," Patternheart agreed. "Can you two go get them so we can head out?"

The brothers did as they were told and retrieved the pair of warriors and headed out with their mentors onto the patrol. To the apprentices' delight, the snow stretched deep into the woodland, covering every rock, branch, and bush in the forest. Roarpaw tried his best to contain his excitement but it was all so amazing. He'd never seen anything like it. All he wanted to do was run through the forest and see everything it had to offer.

"So what are we doing on this patrol?" Treeshade asked as the cats neared the SkyClan border. "I assume we're not just refreshing the markers?"

Snaketail shook his head. "No. After we refresh the border, we're going to hunt for a bit. This was the first night of snowfall so the hunting patrols will either have a lot of luck today or none at all. Either way, the fresh-kill pile could use restocking."

"Wait, why?" Wolfpaw asked as he padded over to walk beside his mentor. "Why would there be more prey? Wouldn't the prey want to stay in their nests where it's warm?"

"Sometimes snow gets into nests and burrows," Antpelt explained, shifting his path a bit to walk beside the apprentice. "If an animal's not prepared, sometimes they have to find a new nest and when that happens, hunting patrols can get lucky and catch a whole pile's worth of squirrels."

"Or they could have no luck at all," Treeshade added. "It's a lot harder to hunt in the snow and prey tends to stay up high when there's snow on the forest floor. It's a hit or a miss and every piece of prey counts this time of year. Especially with kits in camp."

Patternheart nodded in agreement. "I don't know if Dottail could take it if she lost another cat."

"She's strong," Antpelt added. "Her kits too. They'll be fine."

"Do you guys smell that?" Wolfpaw asked suddenly. Roarpaw lifted his muzzle and sniffed only to be hit with a foul odor. He gagged. Whatever it was, it was rank.

"Or those border marks?" Snaketail growled, breaking into a run. He stopped at the border and his face screwed up with disgust. "They're in their usual place. Why do they smell so bad?"

Antpelt padded forward to join him but turned away quickly. "Oh, StarClan. Is that fox dung? Did they put fox dung on the border?"

"Oh, I think that's just… cat smell," Treeshade told him. He blinked rapidly like the odor was hurting his eyes. He took a few steps back. "I'm going to… There's a yarrow patch nearby. Anyone want to rub their noses in the leaves before investigating?"

"Good idea but we won't be able to figure this out if we can't smell," Snaketail told him. He leaned forward to take another whiff only to flinch back. "Actually, nevermind. StarClan, that's rank. Where's that yarrow patch?"

"Over here," Treeshade said, pulling the group away from the border. Roarpaw felt a wave of relief as the scent faded. Treeshade led them to a patch of yarrow about a treelength from the border and the cats took turns sticking their nose in it. Roarpaw made sure to take some extra time to wash the old stink out of his nose. Herbs smelled bad but even they were better than whatever lay ahead of them.

"What is that smell?" Patternheart asked once they'd gone back to the former SkyClan border. "There's no way cats can naturally produce that smell."

"Longstar said that the camp smelled like twolegplace. Maybe they visited their old territory and dug around some of those shiny boulder things," Antpelt suggested. "What are those things called again?"

"Trash bins," Treeshade told him. He eyed the invisible line separating the territories. "It's possible. I'd say it's more likely they brought in more cats."

"Why would they want more cats?" Roarpaw asked, confused.

"Their territory doubled in size in the past moon," Snaketail told him. He began kicking the snow. "They need more cats to patrol it. Maybe they brought in some sick cats. Come on, help me cover up the scent. Maybe it won't smell so bad."

The others began helping him in an instant. Patternheart and Roarpaw briefly separated from the group to start laying down new markers while Wolfpaw and Snaketail kicked snow over the Others' markers and Antpelt and Treeshade brought the rest of the yarrow over to toss over it. All in all, it was probably more effort than it was worth but Roarpaw thought that they made some progress against the foul stench.

Roarpaw was fairly tired by the time the group finished but not any more tired than he usually was after border patrol. He certainly still had enough energy to hunt but Snaketail thought the patrol should go back to camp first and report to Longstar.

"We can come back later," Snaketail told them as he led the patrol away from the border. "We have all day and I think this is more important."

Antpelt and Treeshade nodded and soon fell in step after the deputy. Wolfpaw ran up ahead a bit and Roarpaw moved to join him only to notice that Patternheart wasn't with them. He paused, worried, before realizing he was just a couple tail lengths away. He started to speak, trying to get his attention, when he noticed the glazed look over Patternheart's eyes. He was distracted, his powers bringing something far away to his attention.

"Patternheart," Roarpaw hissed quietly, shooting a glance at the rest of the patrol. He still didn't understand how any of the Four's powers worked and he had no idea if there was something wrong or if Patternheart was going to do something to cause a commotion. "Hey, Patternheart. Snap out of it. We're leaving."

Patternheart flinched, confusion in his eyes as he came back to the present. He blinked a few times and looked around before focusing on his apprentice. "Roarpaw."

"Yeah. Me. Roarpaw," Roarpaw said, flicking his ear in a gesture for the warrior to start walking. The others were leaving them behind. "What did you hear? Or see. You do both, right?"

"I saw SkyClan," Patternheart breathed. He smiled, joy dancing in his blue eyes. "Roarpaw, they're okay."

Roarpaw matched his smile. "Really? That's amazing."

"We should tell Longstar," Patternheart said. "I'm sure I could find ShadowClan too. Maybe we can bring them back."

Roarpaw opened his mouth to reply but a call from up ahead interrupted. "You two coming?"

"Yeah," Roarpaw called and ran after the patrol, Patternheart close behind. For the first time in awhile, he felt hope surge in his chest.

* * *

"What do you mean no?" Patternheart demanded, staring at Longstar with disbelief.

"I mean no," Longstar repeated, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Patternheart, but we can't afford to send out any cats after ShadowClan and SkyClan, least of all you. Vigilstorm says that something's coming and the Four are at the core of it. We can't risk you missing your chance to… do whatever it is we needed to do."

"See? We don't even know what we're doing. For all you know, it could be my destiny to find ShadowClan and SkyClan," Patternheart grumbled. He flattened his ears, the faintest noises of either clan barely touching his ear tips. They were so far and yet he could hear them. He knew exactly where they were. He could hear their pawsteps, how tired they were, and their voices in the wind. Shouldn't that mean something?

"It very well might be," Longstar told him, "but you and as many cats as you want can go after them after we drive out the Others. Actually, you will go after them. I'm almost certain that is your duty, Patternheart, but not yet."

"Why?" Patternheart probed. He didn't understand what Longstar was telling him. He knew where the missing clans were. Shouldn't they be doing everything they could to bring them home?

"Because there's no way under Silverpelt that I'm letting you go alone," Longstar said firmly, "and we can't afford to send cats out right now. The Others are at our border and the last attack should have taught all of us that we can't afford to be complacent. You're a mentor, Patternheart, and your apprentice is vital to protecting our clan. We all should be preparing for battle and I need you here to help Roarpaw fill the paws he's meant to."

Patternheart closed his mouth. He understood where Longstar was coming from. The clan needed all it's cats right now. Leaving could spell the end of ThunderClan and that was the last thing Patternheart wanted. "Okay. Fine. I'll wait."

Relief came crashing down on Longstar's features and the taller tom purred. "Good. I'm glad. I don't know what I'd do without you, Patternheart."

Patternheart felt a smile tug at his lips. "You'd be a boring cleanpaw."

"That I would," Longberry chuckled and took a few steps toward the entrance of the leader's den, guiding Patternheart out. "Now don't you have a hunting patrol to get to?"

* * *

Wolfpaw tried to ignore the nip of the frost at the tips of his hairs. He shook out his fur, suppressing a shiver. He wasn't quite ready to declare that he hated leaf-bare but he would say that hunting and patrolling in the snow wasn't nearly as fun as playing. Every step felt like he was plunging his paws into the lake only far colder. Great StarClan, why was it so cold? He didn't think he'd ever felt this cold before. He didn't even know it was possible. And today was only the first day of snowfall. How much worse would it get?

Longstar decided not to do anything about the strange smell the patrol found and just sent them out again. Scent was just scent and there was nothing they could do about it. An empty fresh-kill pile, on the other paw, they could do something about. Assuming they could find any prey.

"Not even a mouse trail," Antpelt complained as the hunting patrol left behind yet another bush. Wolfpaw was starting to get frustrated. Not a single cat had caught a piece of prey. Treeshade had found a buried mouse den but it smelled like its inhabitants abandoned it that morning and the warriors were just a bit too late. Wolfpaw doubted they would catch anything today.

"Maybe we can go closer to the lake," Patternheart suggested. "It's a lot more open over there so it might be easier to spot something. We might have a bit more luck."

"Good idea," Snaketail praised and jerked his head in the new direction, redirecting the patrol. "Everyone pair up and don't go too far but make sure to spread out enough that we're covering more ground. There's got to be something."

"Is hunting always this bad in leaf-bare?" Wolfpaw asked, padding to walk beside his mentor. StarClan, he hoped not. He felt optimistic going out this morning but with preyless each tree, bush, and burrow he checked, that optimism sank.

To his relief, Snaketail shook his head. "No. Usually at the beginning of leaf-bare, there's still a lot of prey around and the only thing that makes hunting hard is the snow. In the middle of leaf-bare, a patrol is lucky to catch a couple of mice and a vole. Let's just hope that the only reason we're having so much trouble is because the other patrols caught everything left running around."

"Let's hope," Wolfpaw repeated, murmuring. Snaketail didn't sound like he believed himself but Wolfpaw trusted his mentor. Maybe he was right and the patrol was just having a rough day. They would catch something before the day ended, right?

Treeshade and Antpelt paired off and Patternheart and Roarpaw went off on their own but stayed close. Snaketail led Wolfpaw through the forest in the direction of the lake. Neither mentor nor apprentice even saw a sparrow's tail feathers before reaching it.

Wolfpaw, as determined as he was to make a catch today, couldn't help but stop and gape at the lake. A layer of ice covered the usually pristine water, only making this new, frozen world all the more mystifying. Snaketail grunted quietly. Wolfpaw glanced back at him, unable to tell if it was a sound of amusement or annoyance, and saw a glint of humor in the tom's eye. Turning his attention back to the lake now that he was confident his mentor didn't care, Wolfpaw placed a paw on the surface of the lake. He squeaked and pulled his paw back as a cool sensation spread across the pad. He licked it furiously before pausing, realizing it hadn't actually hurt. Tentatively, he tried again.

"Be careful," Snaketail warned as Wolfpaw made an attempt to put all four paws on the lake. "It's slippery and I don't want you getting hurt this early in the season."

Wolfpaw dug his claws into the ice, ignoring the way it made the chill climb up his limbs just a bit faster. Once again, he glanced over his shoulder at his mentor, tail flicking behind him curiously. "Have you ever fallen on the ice?"

Snaketail snorted. "What kind of mousebrain do you take me for?"

Wolfpaw made an even, nonchalant noise and tipped his head back and forth. Snaketail scowled and looked away, licking his shoulder fur in embarrassment. Wolfpaw laughed, green eyes lighting up in victory. "Tell me about it!"

"It's not really that interesting of a story," Snaketail grumbled, shuffling his paws. "I've told you I wasn't the best apprentice. I was probably a moon or two younger than you when the lake froze over. Some apprentices from SkyClan and ShadowClan were playing this game- I think it's called stone slide or ice stone or something like that- and my mentor let me join. I had an opening to take the stone from this SkyClan apprentice so I took it but I kind of forgot I had claws after diving and I just… slid."

Wolfpaw gave a mrrow of amusement. "Can you show me and Roarpaw how to play sometime?"

"Of course," Snaketail promised. "Let's just hope that we catch some prey this leaf-bare because there's no way under StarClan I'm letting you goof off when the clan's got empty bellies."

"I know, I know," Wolfpaw mumbled. He shifted his paws, the pads starting to burn after being held against the ice for so long. "We're going to need some luck if we're going to-"

"Hey guys!" Roarpaw's voice suddenly interrupted. Snaketail and Wolfpaw cut off their conversation and looked over to see Roarpaw bounding over, Patternheart nowhere in sight.

"Where's your mentor?" Snaketail demanded, sounding alarmed. If Snaketail's voice hadn't sparked his own worry, Wolfpaw would have cooed at his mentor's worry for his friend.

Roarpaw waved his tail dismissively. "Don't worry, he's just over there. Look, there's a duck in the middle of the lake."

"What?" Snaketail and Wolfpaw said in unison, jerking their heads in the direction Roarpaw mentioned. Wolfpaw's jaw dropped. Sure enough, in the middle of the barren ice patch, there was a large, brown and green duck. It stood out against the clear, faintly blue ice below so starkly that Wolfpaw began to mentally beat himself up for missing it. He knew he shouldn't and he rarely did anything of the sort but it was so obvious! How could he have missed it? What kind of warrior could he expect to be if he let himself be distracted when he was working so hard to feed the clan?

"Patternheart's over on that side of the lake," Roarpaw went on, "and he sent me over here to ask you two to help us surround it. It looks distracted right now so hopefully it won't notice us until at least one of us is close enough to catch it."

"It's a risky plan but we can't afford to pass up this chance," Snaketail said, licking his lips. "Wolfpaw, are you up for this?"

Wolfpaw nodded vigorously. "Let's catch that bird!"

Snaketail gave him a nod of approval. "Alright. Roarpaw, you stay here. Wolfpaw, try to line yourself up with Patternheart. I'll loop around to the other side. I assume Patternheart told you he had a signal of some sort, Roarpaw?"

The russet apprentice nodded. "Yeah. He said for everyone to raise their tails when they're ready and for everyone to start moving when he waves his."

Wolfpaw was impressed. He didn't think it was possible for a hunt to be this coordinated but then again, they needed to make this catch.

Doing as he was told, Wolfpaw took his place across the frozen lake from Patternheart. The older tom met his gaze, a bright and warm yet serious look in his sky blue eyes. Wolfpaw's line of sight shifted, focusing on the duck. It was so oblivious. For StarClan's sake, how could it just be standing there like that? It didn't notice the four cats surrounding it at all. Granted, they were pretty far away but Wolfpaw thought that birds were pretty smart. Shouldn't it get the feeling that it was being watched? Wolfpaw did sometimes, even if it was just a kit or a black bird watching him. He'd think a duck would notice four predators preparing for a kill.

Wolfpaw raised his tail and waited for the signal. It was only a few heartbeats before Patternheart gave it and the four cats began creeping forward. Wolfpaw tried to keep his balance by keeping his claws out but Snaketail and Patternheart were both advancing far more quickly than he and Roarpaw were and Wolfpaw knew something had to change. He spared a quick glimpse at his brother. Green and brown eyes met, brothers silently communicating. Roarpaw suddenly started sliding his forepaws, keeping his claws out in his hind paws. Wolfpaw caught on quickly and mimicked him. Soon enough, they were both pseudo-stalking at nearly the same speed as their mentors.

Patternheart and Snaketail were probably three foxlengths and Roarpaw and Wolfpaw were around five foxlengths away when the duck seemed to notice them. Until now, it had just been staring off into space but it turned its head, posture perked and alert. Fear of losing the catch began storming in Wolfpaw's belly but he squashed it down. Now was the time to be bold, not stress over what could or could not happen.

Snaketail began to pick up the pace a bit, no longer caring about being quiet, while Patternheart came to a full stop. That should have been a sign that something was wrong but in the moment, Wolfpaw thought nothing of it. Following his mentor's lead, Wolfpaw broke into longer strides, trying to make it to the bird before it took flight or at least scare it in Patternheart's direction. Roarpaw seemed to have the same idea and leaned in Wolfpaw's direction, hoping to drive the bird into another cat's paws.

Snaketail pushed hard with his hind paws and shot forward on the slippery ice but he wasn't fast enough. The duck let out a loud, harsh honk and began flapping its wings. Claws outstretched, Snaketail barreled towards it but the duck rose into the sky, making Snaketail narrowly miss it. To add insult to injury, it was still flying slow, buffeting Snaketail's head with its wings.

Wolfpaw reacted on pure instinct. He had picked up enough speed that he was close enough to jump in. He was a ThunderClan cat and even if he didn't have the same powerful, fighting build as Roarpaw, he had muscles in his haunches that were more than thick enough to complement his hunting prowess. Bunching them up, Wolfpaw launched himself into the air and sprang at the duck before it could fully take off. Claws clipped wings and two forms came crashing down.

"Wolfpaw! Snaketail! Look out!" Patternheart yowled. Wolfpaw had no idea what he was talking about and he didn't pay it much mind, concentrating on taking down his prey. Whatever Patternheart was warning them about, it was too late and there wasn't much Wolfpaw could do about it until the natural pull of the earth brought him back down from his jump.

The duck hit the ice first, somewhat violently, with a harsh crack. Wolfpaw found his balance and managed to get his paws under him so he could land neatly. Or at least he thought. The last thing he expected was for the ice to give out under his paws.

Wolfpaw didn't even have time to yowl and he was thrown into merciless cold. Darkness suddenly filled his vision and sheer panic flooded his veins. Pure, complete and utter panic seized him in a way he never thought he could experience. Wolfpaw was a brave cat. He had fears like any other cat but he was rarely truly afraid. The only thing that made him feel this way was falling asleep knowing he'd end up in the Dark Forest yet again but this feeling was far more fleeting. His natural flight or flight instinct to survive was roaring within him and there was nothing he could do. There was no where to put his paws, nothing to cling to, no enemy to fight, nothing to talk down. It was just him, the frozen water, and the darkness.

Time slowed and that falling feeling stopped. It didn't disappear, it just stopped like a tree fell over in the river of time, stopping it's flow. The feeling of falling became the feeling of being suspended mid fall. Through the sharp alarm, confusion whirled almost lazily. It wasn't important enough to completely surface but it was there.

He suddenly felt claws on a forepaw. Wolfpaw couldn't find it in him to yowl, instead just looking up with wild eyes in hopes of seeing his savior. What he saw made his stomach sink.

He wasn't clinging to the edge of the ice over a deep lake of frozen water. Snaketail wasn't holding onto him. Roarpaw wasn't trying to do everything he could to pull his brother up. Patternheart wasn't guiltily apologizing that his warning was too late, not that it was his fault anyway. He wasn't trapped under the ice. He wasn't drowning. But seeing his savior, he wished he was.

Wolfpaw could still feel the cold of the lake's water but he knew with everything in his heart that he wasn't at the lake anymore. Why did he know that? Because Shredtail was standing over him, yellow eyes glowing against his fading brown pelt.

Wolfpaw was hanging over the edge of a cliff at the border of the Dark Forest. Actually, he didn't know if it was the border. He'd never seen the border. He just knew that the few times he'd seen this ravine, he couldn't see anything beyond or below it. It was just dark, silhouette trees and then plummeting darkness.

Shredtail stood on the sturdy, solid ground, leaning over to hold onto Wolfpaw with one forepaw. He tilted his head, eyes gleaming. Wolfpaw wanted to yowl. He didn't know what, he had no words, he just wanted something to happen. He wanted to ask Shredtail why he was doing this or maybe to let him go. Either way, he didn't want to be dangling there, staring up at the cat who haunted his dreams for moons and the blank, starless sky above.

Shredtail opened his mouth to speak but no words left his mouth and the world blurred. The dark, earthy brown and pitch, shadowy black bled into cloudy greys and softer browns. The pain left his forepaw, claws gone and replaced by teeth on his scruff. Panic still fluttered his chest but the basic instinct that previously told him to struggle was telling him to relax. Whoever was holding him, it certainly wasn't Shredtail. The image of the Dark Forest was gone, cast back into the corners or his mind or Silverpelt or wherever the Dark Forest cats lurked. Wolfpaw didn't know and he didn't care. He just knew he was cold and wet and some cat he loved and trusted was saving him.

Snaketail grunted as he hauled the dripping Wolfpaw out of the water and onto the ice. Wolfpaw collapsed, panting. There was no water in his mouth or throat and everything above his shoulder fur was still dry. He hadn't fallen all the way on. Had only a couple heartbeats passed? It felt like so much longer. Had the Dark Forest sent a vision to stretch out that terrible, terrible moment? Wolfpaw hoped not. He knew he was a bad cat but he didn't think StarClan hated him that much.

"Wolfpaw!" Roarpaw cried and rushed to his brother's side, pressing against his flank. Quick laps covered his pelt as Roarpaw desperately tried to dry him off.

"I'm fine," Wolfpaw gasped, out of breath for a reason he could not fathom. With Roarpaw pressed against him, he realized he was shivering. Great StarClan, he was cold.

"Are you okay?" Snaketail demanded, voice forceful yet in no way intimidating. Snaketail was doing a poor job masking his worry.

"I'm sorry!" Patternheart cried, rushing over. "I knew it was going to crack but I couldn't do anything to stop you from-"

"It's fine Patternheart," Wolfpaw whispered. "It wasn't your fault. Not at all. It was just me being a mousebrain and not thinking for a few heartbeats. I'm fine, don't worry."

Patternheart frowned. "But your bleeding."

Wolfpaw glanced down at his forepaw and saw that, indeed, it was bleeding. Numb horror fell into his belly like a stone and he could do nothing but watch as liquid red leaked from broken skin and stained his fur.

"Patternheart, run back to camp and get Vigilstorm," Snaketail barked. "Roarpaw and I will do what we can to stop the bleeding and keep him warm. Hurry."

Patternheart looked torn, like he didn't want to leave, but he nodded and took off with speed rivaling a WindClan cat. Wolfpaw let out a ragged breath. He just wanted to close his eyes…

Roarpaw suddenly batted him in the face and Wolfpaw flinched back, blinking at him in confusion. He could feel his thoughts slurring, becoming disoriented but managed to find his voice. "What was that for?"

"No falling asleep," Roarpaw insisted, licking his shoulder fur furiously. "Stay awake, trash cat. You're going to be fine."

"But I am fine," Wolfpaw argued weakly, fighting another wave of drowsiness. StarClan, why was he so sleepy all of a sudden? He was fine and perfectly awake just a few heartbeats ago.

"You're not fine. Look at you, you're soaked and shivering," Snaketail said, fussing over him like a queen. He put a paw over Wolfpaw's forepaw, trying to press on the wound. "Did a piece of ice hit you badly?"

Wolfpaw shook his head. "I saw Shredtail."

"Shred… tail?" Snaketail echoed. His grip became looser for a moment.

"Who's Shredtail?" Roarpaw asked, confused.

"He's the Dark Forest cat who comes to get me from my dreams at night," Wolfpaw told him, his voice becoming slurred. Mouse dung, he was tired.

Roarpaw frowned. "I thought you were going to try to get away from them."

"Believe me, if we could, we would," Snaketail stated. He sounded upset. Wolfpaw just wanted to reach up and nose his neck fur and promise everything was going to be alright but he couldn't do that. He was too tired. Seriously, where did this sudden sleepiness come from?

"I know," Roarpaw whispered, looking down. His tongue strokes on Wolfpaw's fur momentarily seized before he picked them back up again. "You just hadn't mentioned it in awhile. How long has it been, four moons? Five?"

"Five almost," Wolfpaw responded quietly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry."

"I'll always worry," Roarpaw told him. He pressed his muzzle against Wolfpaw's cheek. "I wish I could help. It's getting worse, isn't it? They're touching you while you're awake now."

Wolfpaw stayed silent. If he could focus, he would have tried to exchange a glance with Snaketail but he was just so tired and little black spots were starting to fill his vision. Before he knew it, his neck muscles were starting to relax and his head was starting to sink.

"Hey, Wolfpaw, no falling asleep. Wolfpaw? Wolfpaw!" Snaketail's voice bordered on full blown panic. Wolfpaw wanted to stay awake for him but his eyelids felt so heavy. Snaketail began shaking him. "I know you're cold and your body's… I'm not a medicine cat, I don't know what I'm saying… I do know that you can't pass out now though. Come on, Wolfpaw, stay awake."

"Please," Roarpaw pleaded. More black spots were obstructing his vision but Wolfpaw didn't need to see his brother to know he was begging. "You remember that story of that LeopardClan cat who fell into the ice? He died because the cold made his body shut down. Wait until Vigilstorm gets here, Wolfpaw."

"'Mm fine," Wolfpaw mumbled before unconsciousness overtook him. For once, the darkness wasn't accompanied by the howls of the Dark Forest. He was safe in his own mind. He was safe in the peaceful black.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Addition to allegiances:

Sagekit (she-kit)- Sacagawea (Thomas's Hamster)

Pikekit (she-kit)- Enigma/ the Bigger Picture (Sanders Sides)

Cobblekit (tom)- Corbin (Cartoon Therapy)

Neetlekit (tom)- Nate/ Slo-Mo Guy (Short vids)

Also, have you ever had duck? It's a special food in my family's culture. I haven't had it in so long *cries in quarantine* but Wolfpaw totally deserves some.


	14. Dream Hunting is Nothing Like Mousing

"Get your nose out of there, you little fox dung!"

Green eyes went round and blinked innocently. The slight tip of the tom's russet head only made Vigilstorm want to yowl louder and tear his own pelt off. Why was Wolfpaw so frustrating? And why in the name of StarClan did he have to act so… so… Vigilstorm didn't even have the words to describe it. It was like a kit was playfully batting his heart. Wolfpaw was no kit and he certainly didn't have any hold over Vigilstorm emotionally but the younger tom had long since wormed his way into the medicine cat's heart with his bizarre ways and unwavering friendship.

"Get in your nest," Vigilstorm scolded, batting him over the head with one paw. Wolfpaw yelped and pulled his nose out of Vigilstorm's herb stores and scowled.

"I'm not even sick anymore!" Wolfpaw complained loudly as he flopped down in his nest. "I had a cold for like a quarter-moon. I'm fine now! If you're going to keep me here, at least make it fun. The medicine den is so boring!"

"It's not supposed to be fun," Vigilstorm responded, shoveling any herbs that had fallen back into their proper places. Wolfpaw merely let his tail dangle out of his nest absentmindedly.

"Then let me go back to training," Wolfpaw said, sitting up. The glint of hope in his voice made Vigilstorm want to hit his head against a tree. Why did he have to be like this? Vigilstorm already felt terrible for keeping the apprentice in the medicine den. Did Wolfpaw want Vigilstorm to hate himself more than he already did?

"You know I can't do that," Vigilstorm told him softly. Wolfpaw deflated a bit and slumped down in his nest. Vigilstorm let out a sigh. "Take a nap, alright? Let's see what happens next sunrise and we'll talk."

"Fine," Wolfpaw grumbled and curled up, tucking his nose under his tail tip. He was asleep within heartbeats and Vigilstorm felt a wave of relief wash over him. StarClan knew how much Wolfpaw needed this.

Vigilstorm shook out his dark grey pelt and padded outside only to run into the clan's deputy pacing furiously outside his den. Vigilstorm paused and raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

Snaketail came to a stop and practically threw himself at Vigilstorm. "Is he alright?"

Vigilstorm rolled his eyes. "Wolfpaw's not dying, Snaketail. You can go talk to him. Well, not now. He's napping but-"

"He's asleep?!"

Vigilstorm took a step so he was blocking the entrance to the den. He knew that if Snaketail truly wanted to barge past him, he could but the gesture seemed to be enough to momentarily placate the warrior. "Calm down, Snaketail. Yes, he's asleep but I really don't think the Dark Forest is going to try anything. He's been trying to stay awake at night to avoid them. Hopefully napping during the day will help."

Snaketail still looked worried. "I didn't think that taking a couple days off training after falling through the ice would make the Dark Forest target his dreams like this."

Vigilstorm lowered his gaze and put a tail tip on his former mentor's shoulder. "Me neither. I'm sorry, I should have known."

"It's not your fault. How could you have known?"

"The cold made him sick and that made him vulnerable. The only thing he could do to get better was sleep. It would be surprising if the Dark Forest didn't take advantage of that, would it not?"

"But it's been nearly a moon," Snaketail protested, voice breaking. It made Vigilstorm's heart crack. Did StarClan like torturing him? Did they give him these powers as a curse? With Wolfpaw, he had some hope of resisting but he was far closer with Snaketail and he didn't have enough control of his powers to shield himself from the bombardment of emotion. Snaketail was hurting and he was worried. Vigilstorm was the only cat who had any hope of helping him and he had no clue where to start.

"I know," Vigilstorm whispered. "Physically, Wolfpaw's fine. He's better than fine. His dreams haven't even been leaving injuries on him."

"Then why are you keeping him in your den? Roarpaw's frantic and other cats are going to start asking questions. It's been way too long for any cat to believe Wolfpaw'd be in the medicine den for a moon after just falling through a little ice."

"He's exhausted," Vigilstorm reminded patiently. A guilty expression spread across Snaketail's features and Vigilstorm tried his best to sever his connection with his powers to no avail. Mouse dung, it hurt. Being aware of his powers only made it so much harder when he sensed other cats thoughts and feelings. Vigilstorm tried his best to push it down but it was just. So. Hard. "Wolfpaw's scared to sleep and he's been trying to stay awake for sunrises. The Dark Forest won't prey on him when he's that weak. It's keeping them at bay but it's hurting Wolfpaw and there's no way I can let him train when he's like this."

"I understand," Snaketail whispered. That hollow look in his eyes made Vigilstorm's heart yowl for him.

"How have you been sleeping?" Vigilstorm asked, trying to sound casual. Even without his powers, it would be impossible for him to miss the way Snaketail stiffened. "... Your dreams have been worse, right? Please tell me you're not trying to skip sleep like Wolfpaw."

"I may have missed a night or two," Snaketail admitted quietly. "Not many though, I promise. I'm deputy so I've got responsibilities, I can't afford to be sleeping through the day when there are things to be done."

"I thought you organized sunhigh patrols and Longstar was still organizing dawn patrols."

Snaketail shrugged. "Yeah but I've still got things to do. I just wish training my apprentice was one of them."

Vigilstorm did his best to ignore all the feelings bubbling up in his belly. "You're not in any shape to be training either, Snaketail. Don't pretend like you didn't hide that giant gash in your side from me last sunhigh. I'm surprised Patternheart didn't notice."

"I rolled in the snow outside camp to get rid of the blood," Snaketail told him, looking down at his paws. "It was pretty shallow. My fur covered most of it."

"You should still come visit me when you get wounds like that," Vigilstorm sighed. He took a step forward, ducking his head a bit. Snaketail seemed to understand what he wanted and sat down, stretching his neck a bit so his chin rested on Vigilstorm's head. Vigilstorm let himself relax. He didn't let cats touch him much and he wasn't planning on changing that anytime soon but this was nice. He closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the warmth of another cat's fur against his. "Your injuries have been getting worse, haven't they? Sometimes, a warrior isn't the best judge of his own injuries. I don't want you bleeding out on me when there's something I can do about it."

"I'm not dying anytime soon," Snaketail insisted. He lowered his head a bit, pressing his muzzle against Vigilstorm's forehead. "The Dark Forest warriors may be madder than a fox in a fit but Ripplestar keeps insisting that Wolfpaw and I have a purpose. I really don't think they'll hurt either of us too bad."

Vigilstorm opened his eyes but didn't move, staring at the lighter fur on Snaketail's chest. "What do you mean?"

"He keeps going on about 'Silverpelt's six special souls,'" Snaketail told him, not moving. "He calls me and Wolfpaw the leftovers. Anytime a cat tries messing with us, he hisses at them and says that we're too valuable for the Dark Forest to lose. I think he's got a load of bees in his brain but whatever keeps Wolfpaw safe."

Vigilstorm froze and pulled away from Snaketail, looking up so faded violet met sharp yellow. Snaketail looked confused and concerned for a moment. He opened his mouth, likely to apologize for something he had no reason to be sorry for, but Vigilstorm put his tail over his mouth before any words can form. "Thank you. I think I know how to help now."

Snaketail's eyes glimmered. "You do? Really?"

Vigilstorm nodded. "Really. Everything's going to be okay, Snaketail. Just you wait."

* * *

Dream walking was far easier than it should be. Vigilstorm actually did very little. His powers seemed to be its own guide, merely listening to its wielder's will and whims when the medicine cat desired to give it direction. Vigilstorm slid into other cats' dreams with ease. The mind was open to the gentle intrusion and Vigilstorm never had any problems.

This time, however, it was a bit different. It wasn't difficult by any means. Vigilstorm didn't fight with his powers or struggle to push through any kind of mental barrier. He had the power of the stars in his paws and that power would not be put down by a little… whatever this was. Vigilstorm didn't know. All he knew was that when he tried to sleep, he spent a bit of time in conscious yet dreamless limbo before opening his eyes to what he presumed was the Dark Forest's hunting grounds.

Or not hunting grounds. Silverpelt was StarClan's hunting grounds. This place wasn't even a home to the cats that roamed its borders. There wasn't a whiff of prey in the air. There was no sky or stars above, not even the cloudy cover that sat above Silverpelt. The trees were dead and dark. The ones immediately around him were covered in dry, broken bark while the ones in the distance merely looked like shadows. They twisted in unnatural ways that Vigilstorm doubted he'd ever imagined trees would twist.

All in all, Vigilstorm decided this was not a nice place.

It had a dark, edgy appeal to it and Vigilstorm supposed he found that intriguing but that was just the type of cat he was. He was the type of cat to get spooked by a bird letting out an unexpected cry but he was also the type of cat who could spend a whole afternoon playing with his own shadow or watching a spider spin its web. He was almost positive Wolfpaw would have a blast here. Or at least he would if the Dark Forest warriors weren't so obsessed with making his life miserable.

If he'd spent after night here fighting cat after cat, Vigilstorm was sure he would snap. Respect for Snaketail and Wolfpaw and whatever clancat had to endure the endless games of the Place of No Stars filled him with the courage needed to step out of the safety of the clearing and into the woodland.

Vigilstorm shivered as a faint breeze rustled the dry leaves above. It only brushed his fur but it made Vigilstorm want to cringe inward. It felt so… wrong. It felt like he shouldn't be here. Wolfpaw and Snaketail shouldn't either, he reminded himself. As he stalked deeper and deeper into the forest, he repeated that thought in his mind like a mantra. It was the only thing keeping him from giving in and fleeing.

Snaketail always said Vigilstorm had strong fight or flight reflexes. Sometimes, it was a comfort. Vigilstorm could run and fight but only when backed into a corner. He could only stand up for himself or do anything remotely noteworthy when he got that spike of adrenaline to push him forward.

Snaketail called it instinct. He called it strength. Vigilstorm called it cowardice. He called it pathetic.

Right now, padding through this seemingly endless nightmare of a forest, Vigilstorm called it useless. That instinct Snaketail always praised him for curled up in his belly like a mouse trapped in the snow trying to preserve body heat. He didn't feel a hint of it spurring him onward. That itch that made his claws unsheath and his forepaws lash out didn't make an attempt to surface. That tingle of energy that filled his body and spurred him to run like a rabbit hid somewhere deep and unreachable. Even that numb feeling that made his muscles seize up and leave him unable to move didn't show face.

He was alone, for once without his anxiety.

Vigilstorm couldn't feel anything. That ever present voice in his head, that ever present knot of nervousness, that ever present need to just move even if he had nowhere to be, it abandoned him when he needed it the most. He should have felt tranquil. He should have felt at peace. He was anything but.

Fear still held him in its terrifyingly sharp claws. Vigilstorm had no idea how he was still putting one paw in front of the other. His body moved on its own. In the corners of his vision, he could see dozens of trees pass and he could hear his own pawsteps leaving indents on the earth below but his mind tuned it out. What this an effect of his powers? Of the Dark Forest? Or had his mind just decided that the situation was too much and decided to duck out?

Quack, his mind unhelpfully supplied in a voice that sounded oddly like Patternheart.

Vigilstorm opted for the last option. Because, really, what kind of mousebrain dreamed his way right into the lion's den? Vigilstorm knew very little about the Dark Forest but he did know that they were mortal enemies of StarClan and he'd always walked under StarClan's light. On a day he let his worst thoughts take the better of him, Vigilstorm found himself questioning the clans' blind faith in their warrior ancestors but Vigilstorm would never turn his back on them. If not for the horror stories, Vigilstorm thought he might find something appealing about the Dark Forest. The aesthetic at least was his style and Lizard's message spoke to him ever so slightly. He could never agree with her methods or the path Dark Forest warriors choose to take though.

Vigilstorm was raised a cat under StarClan but Jayfeather had told him he was a cat of the mist, a place between StarClan and the Dark Forest. Vigilstorm didn't know how much truth there was to it and in all honesty, he didn't understand it in the slightest. He did know, however, that the mist was the direction to place his questioning thoughts. He was no Dark Forest cat, he was bound to StarClan and Silverpelt. He was, supposedly, supposed to be part of the neutral party but a grey area wasn't black or white. Vigilstorm may be skeptical about the light but he still pushed away the darkness.

His internal debate only made Vigilstorm's mind question itself more. He truly, truly was a mousebrain. His thoughts went full circle and, now that his moral dilemma was momentarily solved, he returned to questioning his reasons for being here. Vigilstorm knew he was a valuable cat. Did he believe it? No. Did he know that the Four were powerful and had an important role? Yes. Was he a risk taker? No. So why under Silverpelt would he willingly venture here? Snaketail's words gave him an inkling as to what the Dark Forest wanted and Vigilstorm was practically handing himself over.

But he knew he could never forgive himself if he stood idle when he could help two of the cats he cared about most. Wolfpaw and Snaketail were hurting, emotionally as well as physically. Vigilstorm didn't need the sharp eyed jay's empathic abilities to feel an ache in his heart anytime he saw that glint of terror in either tom's eye or feel like he was going to fall apart anytime either cat got a wound too serious to hide from him. He needed to help them. That's why he was doing that.

Vigilstorm loved his friends. He would do anything for them. Even face his greatest fear.

He was a dark cat at heart and this place reflected what he saw inside himself and feared. He knew it was an irrational fear and sorely misplaced. It wasn't like he'd ever done anything. It was just those insecurities and little voices that Jayfeather told him came with being aware of rebirth. He didn't understand that nor was he able to accept that he had no reason to be afraid but he was.

He was afraid that he would end up in a place like this. Even before he knew the Dark Forest existed, he was always afraid that StarClan would find a reason to banish him from the land touched by their benevolent light. And now he was willingly stepping out from under it.

For his friends, he reminded himself. He loved his friends, he told himself. He would do anything for them, he repeated.

For once, Vigilstorm both knew and believed it.

Wolfpaw and Snaketail needed him and that was all the reason he needed to keep putting one paw in front of the other and wander deeper and deeper into the forest that made the hairs on his pelt stand. He could help them and that was all the reason he needed to swallow his fear of the trees looming around him and the breeze that sounded like howls of pain. He was strong enough to save them and that was all the reason he needed to ignore the urge to hide in the woodland's shadows and wait until the sun went away.

Vigilstorm needed to do this.

Vigilstorm's thoughts caught up with his body's movements again and he took a breath for what felt like the first time. He briefly came to a stop, shaking out his pelt, and stepped out from under the canopy of trees into a new clearing to come face to face with a pair of warriors.

A lithe tom with yellowed grey fur stood in the center of the clearing, legs poised and ready to spring. His ears were angrily pressed against his head and his lip was peeled back in a snarl. A vicious glint could be seen in his yellow eyes, more hatred than even a fox could bear directed at the cat before him.

The second cat was a tom as well but didn't have the same built as the warrior before him. He was taller, more powerful. Orange and black fur made his faded pelt blend in with the background but his eyes stood out. They were sharp and bright. They were yellow like the other tom but they lacked the anger. They were collected. Confident. Smug.

"Come on, Snaketail," the tom purred, winding around said warrior. Snaketail flinched as the cat's tail tip ran over his spine. He glared defiantly but no words left his lips. The cat looked delighted by his reaction.

It took Vigilstorm a moment to realize who the cat was. This must be Ripplestar, the cat Snaketail said visited him in his dreams. Snaketail had never described him but Vigilstorm knew the nursery stories of him. In fact, Snaketail himself told them to him. It was thanks to him that the tenth rule of the Warrior Code existed and Snaketail was always one to stress the importance of clan cats remembering their history. Vigilstorm never thought he'd end up meeting the ancient ShadowClan leader. He had to see how this interaction would play out.

Ripplestar got closer to the warrior, to Snaketail's visible discomfort. He put his muzzle in his face before pulling back enough to circle the grey tom like a fox circling its next meal. "I think you should really reconsider my offer. The Dark Forest sees your value. We're the ones who made you the cat you are today. You lie to yourself and closest kin day in and day out but even your dark little heart can't deny it, Snaketail."

"I can't," Snaketail whispered so faintly that Vigilstorm didn't hear him. For a heartbeat, he looked broken. Sorrow rippled through his body, posture shifting ever so slightly. It hardly lasted. A moment later, he was stiff and rigid with defiance once more. "You may have built my foundation but I still defined myself. I still worked hard on my own to become a great warrior and earned the respect of my clanmates to become deputy with my deeds, not yours. Sure, I'll admit that I owe you but I've long since repaid my debt. Now. Let. Me. And. My. Apprentice. Leave."

Hope fluttered in Vigilstorm's chest but it was immedatly crushed with a harsh bark of laughter from Ripplestar. "You can't escape the Dark Forest. You think your debt has been repaid? This is a lifelong deal, Snaketail."

"Then I'll die," Snaketail growled. He sank his claws into the ground but Ripplestar appeared unfazed.

"And you'll just end up back here," Ripplestar responded, moving his tail away from Snaketail's shoulder to wave in the air dismissively. "Do you really think StarClan wants you?"

Snaketail opened his mouth to respond but no words came out. That broken look returned and Vigilstorm's heart reached out for him. Before he knew what he was doing, Vigilstorm was stalking forward, fury and a protective desire fueling each step forward.

"Yes," Vigilstorm stated, voice loud and bold. It carried deep and far into the surrounding forest. Ripplestar turned at the sound of it. If Vigilstorm didn't know better, he'd say the former leader looked startled. He could've sworn Ripplestar jumped at his seemingly sudden appearance. It only flooded Vigilstorm with confidence. "You said it yourself. Snaketail is special. If StarClan was mousebrained enough to turn him away, my friends in the mist would take him. He is an amazing cat, worthy of whatever he wants for himself."

The broken look in Snaketail's eye faded, replaced with something warmer. Vigilstorm offered him a smile and Snaketail matched it but only for a heartbeat. Panic suddenly attacked the warmth and the smile slid off his face. Vigilstorm frowned. What was wrong?

A sharp, unpleasant sound fell on his ears. Vigilstorm flinched, unable to identify it. He had to see it to believe it. Ripplestar was laughing. Or purring. He couldn't tell, it was too manic to be just one or the other. His head was tilted back, his yellow eyes ablaze with sick joy. A bark escaped his lips, resonating from his belly. He uncoiled himself from Snaketail and began padding toward Vigilstorm.

"One of the Three in my forest?" Ripplestar questioned, teeth flashing as he grinned. Vigilstorm suddenly realized his mistake and took a step back but Ripplestar kept advancing. "And the darkest one too. What luck! StarClan won't miss you but the Dark Forest will certainly love you."

"Run!" Snaketail suddenly yowled. He leaped and landed on Ripplestar's back, clawing and tearing his ears with unparalleled fury. Snaketail pivoted off him quickly and began streaking toward the forest. "Come on, Vigilstorm! Run! Use those instincts of yours."

The words were all he needed. Adrenaline flooded his body, fleeting and pure. It pushed him forward and after his friend. Paws skimmed dry earth and muscles worked to push him faster and faster. Ripplestar's yowls of rage fell on deaf ears. Vigilstorm couldn't even hear the undergrowth behind him being crushed as Ripplestar violently charged after the pair.

He did, however, notice when more voices and pawsteps joined in.

"What's going on?" Vigilstormed asked, moving closer to Snaketail but not close enough to the point where he could accidentally trip him. That was a death wish for them both.

"You, a medicine cat, came to the Dark Forest you stupid furball!" Snaketail hissed. "Obviously the Dark Forest is going to have it out for you. Fox dung, even if you weren't a medicine cat, they'd probably get a kick out of chasing you through the forest."

"Do you have any idea where we're going?"

"Do you think I'd lead you aimlessly through enemy territory?"

"Yes!"

"Good! Because that's exactly what I'm doing!"

"Wait, actually?"

"No, mouse brain! We're going to get Wolfpaw and then we're going to go find a place to hide," Snaketail snapped. He dodged a tree and swerved. Vigilstorm skidded a bit when he tried to follow but managed to keep pace. "Ripplestar's the Dark Forest's leader, one of the first cats to end up here. He went down in history and even now, cats whisper his name. He'll never fade and that makes all these other warriors serve him loyally. You might as well have made dirt in his fresh-kill. Every cat in the forest is coming to tear you apart!"

Guilt bubbled in Vigilstorm's belly. He came to help but he'd just put Snaketail in more danger. By the stars, he cursed himself for his foolishness. He felt so sure of himself while confronting Ripplestar but how he felt lower than a stone in a riverbed. Would it always be like this? The tumble of ups and downs felt endless. He just couldn't seem to stick to either. They always felt like they would last forever but they never did. It made it all the more painf-

"Quit beating yourself up," Snaketail said, interrupting his thoughts. His breath was starting to get a bit ragged but not quite labored yet. He could still go for a while longer. To Vigilstorm's relief, he didn't sound angry. Just tired, frustrated, and worried. "You're here and there's no changing that. Maybe this'll get worse, maybe it'll get better, I have no idea what you were planning to do by showing your muzzle here. You better have a plan, Vigilstorm."

"Er, vaguely," Vigilstorm said. That was a lie. He had no idea what he was doing here. He dreamed his way here on a whim that he could do something. Something good. He prayed to the stars that couldn't see him that he'd follow through.

"That's all I ask for," Snaketail answered. He leaped neatly over a fallen branch while Vigilstorm swerved to avoid it only to nearly crash into another. Training his gaze on the path ahead, he realized it became a lot more rugged. He'd need to jump to avoid the obstacles. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, it was more that he didn't like the added risk. Running from a mob of angry, dead warriors was scary enough. He didn't need the fear of tripping on top of that.

Time suddenly seemed to slow as Vigilstorm's anxiety began screaming. Something was wrong. A quick visual sweep of the area was all he needed to identify it but his warning came a bit too late. "Snaketail, look out!"

Snaketail let out a yowl as a ragged, dark brown tom swooped down out of his hiding place in the treetop branches and barreled into Snaketail. The two toms tumbled for a bit, neither able to get back onto their paws. Alarm and fear flashed over Vigilstorm's pelt and he darted after them, praying that there wasn't a cliff nearby. Even if this was a dream, he was terrified at the thought of Snaketail falling into whatever lay below the Place of No Stars.

Until now, Vigilstorm had been lucky enough to have any significant events happen in a clearing but now he was faced with thick woodland, debris, and underbrush as he tried to find his clanmate and his attacker. The terrain was not on his side.

Snaketail, surprisingly, got to his paws first and lunged at the other cat, teeth bared and claws outstretched. Paws met shoulders and weight slammed into an unsteady stance. Vigilstorm nearly stopped in his pawsteps. Snaketail had the advantage early on despite being the victim of the surprise attack. Still high on adrenaline, Vigilstorm let his fighting instincts take over and threw himself into battle alongside his clanmate.

It had been a long time since Vigilstorm had been in a fight but his own quick reactions surprised him. Snaketail and Vigilstorm fought side by side, weaving around each other and battering their foe with perfectly synced blows. The tom turned his face away from Snaketail only to be struck by Vigilstorm on the other side. When his head got caught in Vigilstorm's hold, he couldn't back away as Snaketail was right behind him with his teeth around his tail. Snaketail wrestled the other down and Vigilstorm kept him pinned. It was unexpected but they were the perfect fighting pair.

The fight felt long but it was over rather quickly and the tom was sent fleeing with his tail between his legs. Vigilstorm and Snaketail watched him flee and Vigilstorm's adrenaline came crashing down, leaving him feel tired but at least his emotions were clear cut like this. The fight clouded the mind and now that his thoughts were straight, he was able to recognize the pride bouncing up from his belly and into his throat.

They didn't have time to celebrate though. Almost immediately after the warrior disappeared from sight, Snaketail whipped back around and resumed their trudge through the forest as if nothing happened. He didn't run but there was still urgency in his strides. Vigilstorm scrambled after him and worked his muscles to keep up. Why did Snaketail have to have longer legs? Did he have any idea how uncomfortable it was to walk this fast?

"Aren't you going to say something?" Vigilstorm asked as the two clambered over a particularly large branch. It probably wasn't even a branch. Vigilstorm wasn't paying all that much attention and the source-less light was becoming darker, making it hard to see, but he was pretty sure he and Snaketail just climbed over an entire tree.

"That was Shredtail."

"Similar name," Vigilstorm noted as he tried his best not to stumble over the bramble that had no right to be in his way. If he wasn't trying to keep up with Snaketail, he would have given it a kick for trying to trip him. "Any relation?"

Snaketail snorted. "Having names that kind of sound the same doesn't mean anything but, yes, I know him. He's Wolfpaw's Dark Forest mentor."

"Oh. Wait… He was alone."

"Which means that Wolfpaw is alone," Snaketail said with a nod, not a hint of surprise in his tone. Like he'd already come to that conclusion. He probably had. Vigilstorm couldn't find it in him to be annoyed. "We need to hurry. The whole Dark Forest has probably caught wind of all this by now."

Vigilstorm nodded, grimacing at the thought of so many faded, starless pelts amassing behind him, countless eyes glowing from the shadows with malintent like predators. He certainly did not shiver. If Snaketail asked, he'd deny it. But he didn't ask. He just kept walking.

"We shouldn't be too far from their training spot," Snaketail told him, ducking under a particularly low hanging branch. "Wolfpaw's probably just waiting for Shredtail to come back. You hang back. Seeing you will probably startle him so I'll-"

"Hi!" a boisterous voice interrupted. A russet ball of fur bounded up to them, bundling up against Vigilstorm. "Hi Vigilstorm!"

Snaketail and Vigilstorm exchanged a glance before turning their attention back to the apprentice looking up at them with brilliantly innocent green eyes. Vigilstorm felt his heart soften a bit that very moment. Great StarClan, why did he have such a weakness for his friends?

"I take back everything I just said," Snaketail muttered under his breath. He cleared his throat. "Wolfpaw, do you have any idea what's going on?"

Wolfpaw opened his mouth to respond but angry yowls in the distance interrupted him before he could say anything. "That?"

"Yeah. Long story short, I'm not supposed to be here but I am and now we're running from the whole Dark Forest," Vigilstorm told him.

Wolfpaw just nodded once. "Cool. So we should run?"

"Run like a hoard of starving badgers is on your tail," Snaketail said grimly.

"Oh, I'm going to run harder than that. Imagine being chased by a giant fox's mouth but it was turned inside out and it was flying! And it had legs but not like cat legs. You know how weird hedgehog legs are? Picture those on the side of the mouth but they're all tall and knobby like horse legs and they have claws and not just on the paws. They go all the way up and-"

"Okay, Wolfpaw, stop. I love you like a littermate but I don't need you giving me nightmares," Vigilstorm said, cutting him off. He half expected Wolfpaw to deflate but the apprentice's toms seemed to light up even more.

"We're already in a nightmare! I'm just making it better. Now run like a crazy fox mouth, leg monster is chasing you!" Wolfpaw exclaimed and ran off with more glee than any cat had any right to have.

Snaketail and Vigilstorm exchanged another glance. Snaketail shrugged. "His brain to mouth filter completely disappears when we're in the Dark Forest. It's a dream so I suppose he thinks he can get away with it. I've found it's best to ignore him. Shall we?"

Vigilstorm nodded and the two broke into a run. Vigilstorm was starting to get tired. That was a lie. He had long since gotten tired but that endless energy buzzing under his skin was pushing him onward. The ThunderClan cats' pursuers were still pretty far behind but their yowls still carried on the breeze and they were far too close for comfort. Vigilstorm couldn't pick out any distinct words or voices but after running for what felt like half the night, Vigilstorm could tell they were closer than before.

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed. Vigilstorm's heart was racing far too fast for him to count the heartbeats and even if he could, the number would be far too high to mean anything. Wolfpaw and Snaketail stayed close to his sides, running through winding paths and jumping over fallen trees without any destination in mind. There was something oddly nice about running wildly through the forest like this but the fear didn't fade and Vigilstorm couldn't focus on it. Maybe when he woke up and returned to the clan, he'd take a break from his duties for a day and just enjoyed the forest. It gave him something to think about when he just wanted to fall over and collapse in exhaustion. It really felt like he was running for longer than physically possible.

"Where are we going?" Vigilstorm asked once he noticed that the group was slowing down.

"I don't know. Just run," Snaketail hissed through labored breaths. His short grey fur was almost as messy as Wolfpaw's and his chest was heaving. Concern flashed through Vigilstorm's pelt. He hadn't realized Snaketail looked so bad. He was a medicine cat, shouldn't he be encouraging them to take it easy? Then again, he was also the trio's alarm and it was his job to push them to survive. He'd take death by exhaustion over death by being torn apart any day of the moon.

"There's an edge to the Dark Forest," Wolfpaw spoke up. He too was breathing hard. Vigilstorm suddenly noticed how much he'd grown the past few moons. He wasn't a tiny apprentice anymore. He was nearly a full grown cat. "I've never seen it but we can't run forever."

"StarClan shares a border with the Dark Forest," Vigilstorm realized aloud. "If we run toward it…"

"We don't know how the territory is shaped and there's probably only one border. It's pretty unlikely that we're even running in the right direction, not to mention Wolfpaw and I are Dark Forest cats," Snaketail snapped. Vigilstorm and Wolfpaw flinched and guilt pooled in Snaketail's eyes. "Sorry. I'm… tired. This was not how I was expecting the night to go. I think your idea is the best shot we have, Vigilstorm, but there's nothing we can do to figure out which direction we're running."

"I know. Just…" Vigilstorm trailed off and came to a stop. He earned a pair of confused glances as Snaketail and Wolfpaw skidded to a stop as well but Vigilstorm ignored them and lifted his muzzle into the air. "Do you smell that?"

Wolfpaw and Snaketail began sniffing. Vigilstorm wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not but he swore that he felt the wind change direction. New scents were thrown at them, making his stomach drop.

"Fox dung, fox dung, fox dung," Snaketail snarled, suddenly pacing in a tight circle. He threw his head back and yowled. "Fox dung!"

"What is it?" Wolfpaw asked, frowning. He sniffed a couple more times. "I don't… Oh."

"They've surrounded us," Vigilstorm whispered. He lifted his nose one more time to confirm it. Before, the wind had been blowing from behind and their pursuers' scent was sent toward them. Now, that same scent was coming from in front of them. They were trapped between two walls of cats.

"Why aren't they closing in?" Wolfpaw asked, eyes darting between the trees frantically. Vigilstorm pressed against his side and coaxed him to sit down, leaning against him. The comfort was needed for both their sakes. Wolfpaw looked up at Vigilstorm, cold fear in his eyes. "We've been running all night. Are they just… lurking out there?"

"There are more cats in the Dark Forest than the clans several times over," Snaketail pointed out. His tail was waving, unable to stay still. He too was afraid but he wasn't about to give up. His body would keep pushing him until it couldn't anymore. That was just the kind of cat he was. "They're like wolves, aren't they? Hunting in a pack, playing with their prey before ripping it apart."

"We're not going to die tonight," Vigilstorm insisted, rising to his paws. The brief respite was nice but they had to keep moving. "Come on, let's go this way."

"They'll just follow us," Wolfpaw said miserably.

"They haven't killed us yet. Hopefully they'll wait long enough for us to wake up. We just need to wake up." Vigilstorm didn't know who he was trying to convince, Wolfpaw or himself.

Snaketail sighed wordlessly and turned, heading in the new direction. Wolfpaw and Vigilstorm followed but no cat made any attempt to run. They were tired and no one was feeling particularly optimistic. They hadn't quite given up yet but if anything else-

Vigilstorm was cut off from his thoughts when Snaketail suddenly picked up the pace. His limbs ached but he didn't want to be left behind so he sped up only for Snaketail to speed up as well. Vigilstorm groaned. "Make up your mind, will you? Are we running again?"

Snaketail was practically bouncing like a curious kit. He barely paused to give Vigilstorm a response. "I think I see something ahead."

"Like good something or just something something?"

"I don't know."

"How useful," Vigilstorm said sarcastically. Snaketail ignored him and just pressed onward. Vigilstorm had no idea what he was looking at until wisps of grey bled into the corners of his vision. He thought it was just his imagination but soon, the fog became thicker and more real. He gasped and purred softly. "It's the mist."

"The mist?" Wolfpaw echoed. His eyes widened as a thick layer of grey, cloudy mist overtook the horizon. It stretched from the earth high into the sky, disturbing the sick darkness. Gone was the endless black. Now there was only soft grey.

"The border between the Place of No Stars and Silverpelt's hunting grounds," a foreign voice spoke. The trio of ThunderClan cats whirled around to see Ripplestar standing a few foxlengths behind them with a smug look on his face. "Surprised to see me?"

"Leave us alone, fleabag," Snaketail snarled. He turned and tried to step through his barrier of mist only to be forced back. Panic struck him, eyes growing wide and afraid. He got up and tried again, only to be pushed back once more.

"No, no, no," Vigilstorm whispered. He reared up on his hind paws and placed his forepaws on the mist. It was flat and sturdy like a wall. His tail lashed behind him, unable to stay still with the sudden spike of anxiety flowing through his veins. He pounded his paws on it to no avail. It was a barrier. Forcing down his panic, Vigilstorm tried concentrating his powers only to find that he couldn't feel the soft, comforting hum of them within him. "No…. No, no, no… This can't be happening."

Shadowy, faded forms began to slink out of the forest behind them. The irritatingly confident gleam returned to Ripplestar's yellow eyes and a smirk wormed its way onto his face. "Don't bother using your powers here. You can't escape the Dark Forest. Now… Are you going to surrender or are my warriors going to have to make you?"

Fearful violet met guarded yellow and brilliant green. Vigilstorm, Snaketail, and Wolfpaw exchanged a glance of equal unease and terror. Vigilstorm swallowed and looked back to the forest. More and more forms were coming out, surrounding them. He glanced over his shoulder, eyeing the barrier between his clanmates safety and their death and felt a wave of guilt and regret. It was his fault they were here. It could have been a normal night but he decided to be the hero. He thought he could help. But he couldn't. There was nothing Vigilstorm could do.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Cliffhangar! I know, I'm evil. The worst part is that I have exams for the next two weeks so iit is very possible updating will slip my mind so if that happens, I'm sorry.


	15. Escape What Screams in the Night

A kick to the back.

He turned.

Forepaws battered his shoulders.

He twisted around, trying to get away.

A body trashed against his.

"Wolfpaw, stop," Roarpaw complained, shifting in his nest. Nearly a moon passed since his brother slept in his own nest and Roarpaw had been excited beyond belief when Vigilstorm told him he was returning to the apprentice den. Roarpaw didn't regret it but he certainly wasn't quite as happy anymore. He didn't remember Wolfpaw moving this much. Both toms were heavy sleepers. Roarpaw couldn't recall a single time either one of them squirmed this much.

When it became clear Wolfpaw wasn't going to stop jostling him anytime soon, Roarpaw sat up, blinking his amber eyes tiredly. He shook some loose moss from his fur and prodded Wolfpaw with a paw. Wolfpaw barely reacted. Roarpaw frowned and poked his back. The other apprentice merely curled in on himself.

"Wolfpaw?" Roarpaw placed a paw on his brother's shoulder, softer this time, and shook him gently. The only response he got was a small moan that escaped Wolfpaw's lips. "Wolfpaw, are you okay?"

Wolfpaw shied away from his paw, curling away from him and almost out of the nest. His head snapped back suddenly and he whimpered. Worry flooded Roarpaw's belly and he got to his paws, frantically trying to shake his littermate awake to no avail. If anything, it made everything worse. Roarpaw pretended that he couldn't feel Wolfpaw trembling under his touch but how could he not notice? Slowly, the shaking became more and more violent until Wolfpaw was nearly full-on thrashing in his nest.

"Wolfpaw? Wolfpaw!" Roarpaw cried out, putting a paw on his shoulder in an effort to calm him or keep him still. Maybe he could… No. Great StarClan, who did he think he was kidding? Roarpaw didn't have the faintest idea what he was doing. "Wolfpaw, wake up!"

"Keep it down," Hedgepaw groaned from her nest. Her tail reached out, waving halfheartedly in the air. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

"Something's wrong."

"Just leave him alone, Roarpaw," Hazelpaw yawned, lifting his head to look at his denmate. "It's his first night out of the medicine den so I'm sure he's just tired and-"

A half-yowl suddenly filled the den and the three apprentices froze. Roarpaw nearly fell over. He shook himself, refusing to admit he'd been startled. The night had been almost silent and the noise sliced through it like claws through grass. The voice was strangled, like it was caught in a cat's throat. It took longer than it should have for Roarpaw to realize it came from his brother. Eyes going round with concern, Roarpaw helplessly watched as Wolfpaw began squirming in his sleep.

Hazelpaw was at his side in a heartbeat while Hedgepaw took her time rolling out of her nest. The black tom sniffed Wolfpaw's shoulder and froze. "Is that blood? Roarpaw, move. Your shadow's blocking the moonlight. I can't see anything."

Roarpaw murmured an apology and took a step back. What he saw made him gasp.

Crimson liquid scored across Wolfpaw's flank, shimmering in the limited light and hiding the silver markings on his pelt. It seeped deep into his fur, oozing from a long gash. Roarpaw stumbled as he took a step back. The wound was fresh. Where had he gotten it? Roarpaw hadn't accidentally clawed him in his sleep, had he?

"Great mouse dung!" Hedgepaw exclaimed as she picked her way over. Her green eyes went wide as she was shocked awake. "Is that cut getting bigger?"

Roarpaw forced his attention off his denmates and back onto his brother. To his surprise, Hedgepaw was right. Dozens more tiny cuts littered themselves onto Wolfpaw's forelegs and face while the gash on his flank slowly grew, his skin splitting open right before Roarpaw's eyes. Roarpaw fought the urge to turn away or vomit, the need to protect his brother overwhelmingly stronger. But what could he do? Fighting indulgence really did nothing, save protecting his image in front of his denmates but that was the last thing on his mind right now. Somehow in some way that Roarpaw didn't understand, wounds were appearing on his brother's pelt and he could do nothing to protect him.

"Roarpaw, go get Vigilstorm," Hedgepaw ordered, voice suddenly serious. Roarpaw opened his mouth to protest, wanting more than almost anything to insist that he stay with his brother, only to realize that arguing would just prolong his brother's pain. He gave her a short nod and turned tail, dashing out of the den.

He crossed camp in a few heartbeats, paws barely skimming the dry, sandy earth until he skidded to a stop at the entrance. He thrust his head in, not caring about the noise level. "Vigilstorm? Vigilstorm, something's wrong with Wolfpaw and I need you to- Vigilstorm?"

When he heard no verbal response or any sign that Vigilstorm was dragging himself out of his nest, Roarpaw stepped inside. The scent of herbs hit his nose, making him gag, but he tried his best to ignore it and find the ThunderClan medicine cat in the shadows at the back of the den. Vigilstorm's dark pelt blended into the night but the nests lined up at the edge of the den stood out in the darkness. Roarpaw found Vigilstorm quickly and saw that he was still sound asleep. He reached out to shake him awake only for his paw to hit something wet. He gasped and pulled it back.

Roarpaw didn't have to lift his paw to his nose to know that Vigilstorm's pelt was drenched in thick, red blood.

"Vigilstorm! Vigilstorm, wake up! Come on, Wolfpaw needs you, storm cloud," Roarpaw cried as he frantically shook Vigilstorm with two paws. The older tom let out a soft groan and twisted in his nest before going limp once more. Roarpaw felt his stomach drop and his heart pound against his chest as he froze. "No, no, no! Not you too! Come on, Vigilstorm. This isn't funny. Wake up. I need you to wake up!"

Roarpaw's mind began scrambling for a solution when Vigilstorm gave no indication he heard his words. Roarpaw turned away, taking fast steps, before the idea struck him. Patternheart and Snaketail! They'd know what to do. They always did.

With one last glance at his unconscious friend, Roarpaw streaked out of the medicine den toward the warriors den. Blood roared in his ears. For a moment, it confused him. He wasn't in battle, he had no reason for his body to be acting like it was, no need for adrenaline. But, in his mind, the situation was scarier than facing down any opponent. Roarpaw almost wished that the camp was being attacked. At least a visible enemy he could handle. He had no clue what to do against one who claimed cats in their sleep.

"Patternheart! Snaketail!" Roarpaw called, tripping over Rushstalk as he burst into the warriors' den. The brown tabby hissed at him and sank back into his nest, muttering something about annoying apprentices. Roarpaw ignored him and practically pounced on his mentor. "Patternheart! Wake up!"

To his relief, Patternheart opened his blue eyes to look up at him. "'Paw? What are you doing? It's past moonhigh."

"Something's wrong with Wolfpaw!"

"...Did you visit Vigilstorm?"

Roarpaw nodded seriously. "He won't wake up either and there's blood on his pelt."

That got Patternheart's attention. "What?"

"Wounds started appearing on Wolfpaw's flank while he was sleeping," Roarpaw explained hurriedly. "Hedgepaw, Hazelpaw, and I weren't touching him or anything and these scratches just appeared. It was like his skin was tearing itself open. I ran over to the medicine den and Vigilstorm was covered in blood too."

Patternheart was on his paws in an instant, eyes wide and wild. He sniffed. "All that blood isn't on your fur, is it?"

Confusion flashed through his mind and Roarpaw tipped his head. "No, I barely- Oh no. Snaketail!"

Patternheart turned and followed Roarpaw's gaze as the apprentice scrambled to the nearest nest. The grey and yellow tom was lying on his side, almost on his back, and thrashing his head side to side. Patternheart shouldered him as he stepped to his side and gasped as a long wound began forming on the other warrior's belly, fur going damp in a heartbeat. "Great StarClan."

"What are we going to do?" Roarpaw asked as the hope in his heart began to ebb away. Patternheart looked just as scared as he did. Why did he think Patternheart could help? He too was just a cat. A more experienced one, yes, but no cat could do anything against… whatever this was.

But Patterneart proved Roarpaw wrong and dashed out of the den. Once his mind caught up with his paws, Roarpaw followed to see Patternheart standing in the middle of camp. Patternheart threw his head back to the moon and let out a blood curdling caterwaul.

"ThunderClan!" Patternheart howled into the night. "Everyone wake up! Everyone get out of their dens for a clan meeting."

There were a number of startled yowls and groans as moss shifted and cats stumbled out of their nests. Within a few heartbeats, the whole clan was in the main part of camp. The darkness made the camp look a lot more crowded than usual. Two dozen cats seemed to fill the clearing.

"Why is Patternheart calling a clan meeting?" Poppyclaw grumbled as she sat down heavily next to Thymestalk. "He's not leader or deputy."

"And in the middle of the night too," Thymestalk agreed, nodding abestnly. "I was in the middle of a good dream."

"Stuff your dream!" Roarpaw snarled at him. The elders' eyes went wide and Roarpaw ducked his head guiltily. "Sorry…"

"What's the meaning of this, Patternheart?" Longstar demanded as he stalked out of his den. "You don't- is that blood?"

Roarpaw realized Longstar was staring at him. He shoved past a couple of his clanmates to stand before the clan leader and nodded earnestly. "Wolfpaw, Vigilstorm, and Snaketail won't wake up. Wounds keep appearing on them even though nothing sharp is anywhere near them and they're covered in blood."

Longstar looked surprised but quickly composed himself to address the clan. "No cat can return to his or her nest tonight! Not even kits. The Dark Forest is preying on our clanmates."

"The Dark Forest?" Echopelt questioned inquisitively. "Are you certain?"

Longstar met his mediator with a short nod. "Positive."

"Is there anything we can do, Longstar?" Rushstalk asked, light, carefree tone gone. He sounded serious for once. And worried. "I mean, Vigilstorm is the only medicine cat in the clan. No other cat has any business with dreams."

Longstar frowned and shook his head. "I don't think there's anything we can do. There are only three cats under the Dark Forest's spell and it's late in the night so if they planned on capturing any other cats' dreams tonight, they would've done it already but I'm not going to risk it. All we can do is stay awake."

"But we can't just leave them to-" Roarpaw protested but was interrupted by Longstar when the leader raised his tail.

"We're not abandoning our clanmates," Longstar declared. "Patternheart, watch over Snaketail. Roarpaw, keep an eye on your brother. I'll stay with Vigilstorm. Rushstalk, you're in charge for the night. Echopelt, I want you to keep the four of us updated on anything going on in the camp."

The four listed cats gave murmurs of acknowledgement. Patternheart and Roarpaw locked eyes for the briefest of heartbeats, any worry or prayers for the other cat passing between them, before hurrying to the warriors' and apprentices' dens respectively.

Hedgepaw and Hazelpaw followed but kept their distance, opting to linger by the entrance of the den while Roarpaw sat beside his brother's nest. Wolfpaw was still tossing in his sleep. Roarpaw put his paw behind his head, hoping he could do something to keep him from hurting his neck. It was the least he could do.

Roarpaw watched as his brother's writhing slowed once more and he became completely still, save the slow, shallow breaths that made his chest rise and fall. He lowered his muzzle, burying it in his brother's spiky yet soft shoulder fur, feeling completely and utterly hopeless.

"Please be okay, Wolfpaw…"

* * *

Yowls filled the forest, echoing through the darkness and running past the trees like wolves. Snaketail glared at the cat circling him and flattened his ears against his head, trying to block the noises out, but a large, patchy tortoiseshell suddenly leaped onto his back and began biting his ears. Snaketail snarled and threw his weight to one side, turning the battle around. She hissed as she became pinned but before she could begin struggling Snaketail's earlier opponent, a large golden tom pounced and slashed a hindpaw across his belly as he grappled his head.

Snaketail cried out and tried to shake him off but he was now trapped between two cats. The tortoiseshell's eyes gleamed and she scored her claws across Snaketail's face. The ThunderClan warrior howled as he felt them catch his eyelid. He prayed to StarClan that he'd avoided any injury to his eye but it was unlikely. It was the same one that Lizard had hit back during their fight. If he didn't go blind, there'd at least be a scar.

Snaketail thrashed, trying to slam his back against the golden tom's chest but both the tortoiseshell and the tom had larger builds than the lean warrior. There was little to nothing he could do to escape.

Grey bled into the corners of his vision and for a moment, Snaketail thought he was going blind. Then he realized that his injured eye was closed. Whatever he was seeing, it was real. The golden tom sprang away from him with a startled yowl and the tortoiseshell shoved him away before sprinting after him.

Snaketail's back hit the ground somewhat painfully, unable to find his balance fast enough. He groaned and turned his head, expecting another cat to take their chance with him. To his surprise, no claws or growls came his way. He sat up and looked around to see that the dozens of Dark Forest warriors that surrounded him mere moments ago were retreating, backing away to the treeline. He glanced to either side of him to see that Vigilstorm and Wolfpaw, fur just as bloody and matted as his, shared his bewildered expression.

The grey became thicker and Snaketail suddenly felt a chill. He shivered and looked back at the Dark Forest warriors, lone eye falling on Ripplestar. "Why'd you stop?"

Ripplestar hissed like a cornered animal and crouched down, backing up. "Mist."

Vigilstorm let out a faint gasp. "Of course. The Dark Forest cats can't stand the mist, just like StarClan cats. Come on, Wolfpaw, Snaketail. It's finally welcoming us."

Wolfpaw and Snaketail shot a hesitant look at the wall. Mere moments ago, it had pushed them back and forced them to face the Dark Forest cats. Snaketail couldn't say he felt confident about their chances breaking through now. Before, he looked at the thick, foggy form with hope. It'd been an escape, a respite. But it betrayed them and refused to let them into the safety of its clutches. Now, Snaketail wasn't sure how to feel about stepping into it.

Wolfpaw seemed to share his sentiments and offered him a shrug. "Anything's better than staying out here."

A jolt of pain shot through the ache of his limbs and Snaketail found himself nodding. "Very true."

"Quit stalling," Vigilstorm snapped and beckoned his clanmates closer with his tail. The night's battle had been long and hard for all three. As the russet and silver apprentice, the grey tabby, and the grey and yellow warrior moved closer together, Snaketail became aware of their injuries. Now that the high of battle began to wear off, he became aware of how tired he was and the sting of the scratches that dotted his body. He could feel a pawful of wounds worse than the others but he tried not to think about it. Vigilstorm, not one for a brawl like this, was drenched in blood. His or another cat's, Snaketail did not know but his violet eyes looked alive and that gave Snaketail all he needed to remain optimistic. He doubted the medicine cat would fall tonight, no matter how battered he looked.

Wolfpaw had seen a long battle as well. His silver marks were almost invisible, hidden by red, and he was panting, legs trembling as if he was having a hard time standing. But like Vigilstorm, blazing spirit shined in his emerald eyes. Wolfpaw's injuries were bad but not severe and he still had the strength to hold his head up high and face whatever lay ahead with the thrill of adventure in his heart.

Vigilstorm seemed to be taking a mental inventory of the trio's injuries as well, undoubtedly far more detailed than the one Snaketail had. He shot one last glance over his shoulder at the Place of No Stars before whisking his tail and stepping into the cloud of mist.

Snaketail took a deep breath, the cool aura around the mist soothing his dry throat, and stepped in after him. He closed his eyes, letting the fog wash over him. A chill clung to the fine tips of the hairs on his pelt and he suppressed a shiver. The white noise of the Dark Forest left him and he just stood in silence and darkness, sheer tranquility shrouding him.

When nothing happened, Snaketail opened his eyes. For a heartbeat, he forgot his eye was injured. He hissed softly in pain. The blood was beginning to clot around it and he accidentally tore it apart. Fresh, warm flood dripped down his face but only a few drops rolled off before stopping. Snaketail let out a sigh of relief when he realized he could see with two eyes. His vision in his left eye was tinted red, like the light of the sunset washing over the lake, but that was to be expected.

Now he could finally focus on his surroundings. Behind him, he could see the silhouettes of the Dark Forest and its warriors but the thick fog obstructed the view for the most part. All around them, wisps of soft grey danced in the air. It was almost like standing at the bottom of the lake, it completely submerged them. The substance was thinner than water and breathable but there was just so much of it. It was cool and damp which felt nice on Snaketail's fur but it blocked his view of the horizon which just didn't settle well with him. Nonetheless, he found it beautiful and oddly calming.

Tension washed away from his muscles. He hadn't realized that his body was still holding onto the instinctive need to be ready during battle. He inhaled deeply once again, enjoying the way the dewy air felt in his nose, and a wave of calm washed over him. He blinked, sleepiness collecting around his eyes, before shaking out his pelt. He couldn't afford to slip into the relaxing nature of the misty haven. They weren't out of danger yet.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Wolfpaw spoke up, twitching his tail. He tucked in his haunches, tipping his head curiously at the two older cats. "I was just minding my own business when you two just appeared and we spent the entire night running through the Dark Forest with the fade-pelts on our tails."

Snaketail flicked his ear in Vigilstorm's direction. "Blame this mouse brain. A cat aligned with the stars has no place in the Place of No Stars. Ripplestar wanted to get his claws on him."

Vigilstorm ducked his head and opened his mouth as if to apologize when an emotion Snaketail had never seen flashed in his mind. He lifted his head and squared his shoulders. When he spoke, there was boldness in his tone. "I'm not a cat aligned with the stars."

Wolfpaw looked confused. "But you're a medicine cat. There's no way you could… Vigilstorm? Did you… Are you and the Dark Forest…?"

"What? No. Of course not." Vigilstorm shook his head before shaking his pelt. Snaketail expected him to respond but his gaze merely shifted upward. A wistful expression formed on his face as Vigilstorm stared out into the void. "Right now, we're standing between the light side and the dark side. Silverpelt is asking us to choose."

"What?" Snaketail understood his words but they didn't quite… stick. The light side was, presumably, StarClan while the dark was the Place of No Stars. Vigilstorm was implying that this mist was a figurative- and literal- grey area. Perhaps some kind of limbo? Or maybe a purgatory? Or worse, the final push to send him over the edge? Snaketail didn't know. His mind couldn't fully fathom Silverpelt's will and whims.

Vigilstorm hummed and tipped his head but didn't say anything more.

Wolfpaw let out a small sigh and lowered his gaze. "I don't want to go back to the Dark Forest. I don't see how you held up for so long, Snaketail."

"Me neither," Snaketaila admitted. He averted his gaze before looking up to the stars he knew didn't wait above. "At first, I liked it. Training in my dreams… It was so illicit that made it thrilling. Then I realized how dark it was there. I don't believe I'm a good cat but I don't want to be a bad one. Great StarClan, I just wanted to leave but the Dark Forest was just so… so addicting. Breaking away was so hard and even then, I was never really free from its clutches. The dreams stopped coming every night but they still came back each and every time. Ripplestar's right. I'm a strong, respected warrior but I am only because it was the Dark Forest that gave me a spine."

"I really doubt you were as weak or craven as you think," Vigilstorm murmured.

Snaketail let out a ragged sigh. "Maybe you're right. Maybe you're not. A cat is his own worst critic but he's the only one who can see his true colors."

Wolfpaw frowned. "I think… I understand that. I don't hate myself or anything but sometimes… sometimes I see something really nasty in me. I think that's why the Dark Forest chose me. That side of me comes out whenever I go there. I want to leave but at the same time, it feels really amazing to just embrace myself."

"But where do your hearts lie?" Vigilstorm murmured so softly the others almost didn't hear him.

"With my brother," Wolfpaw said in a heartbeat. His eyes glowed and he smiled. "I love my brother. He's my best friend. And Patternheart and Snaketail. I love my kin but sometimes kin is more than blood."

Snaketail nodded. "Vinestar and Longstar mean the world to me and Patternheart is that bit of sunshine in my life that gives me the energy to keep up this snakey facade… And Wolfpaw and Roarpaw, they give me purpose. That's where my heart lies."

Vigilstorm nodded faintly.

"And then there's you."

"What?" Vigilstorm croaked.

"You're such a good friend, Vigilstorm," Wolfpaw said. He scooted over and pressed against his flank, resting his head on his shoulder. The medicine cat looked faintly surprised and looked at Snaketail with a lost look in his eyes. Snaketail smirked and took a step forward, resting his jaw on Vigilstorm's head in a comforting, brotherly gesture. Vigilstorm didn't hesitate to lean into it, nuzzling his face into Snaketail's chest fur so his cheek rested against his neck.

"You really are an amazing cat, Vigilstorm," Snaketail whispered. A purr rumbled in his chest. Vigilstorm squirmed as he felt Snaketail's throat vibrate against his face. Snaketail saw his former apprentice's tail curl which only made the happy rumble grow. "I don't know how you did it but you showed up here. I can't say I'm happy about being chased the entire night but I know you came here for a reason. Thank you, Vigilstorm. It means a lot to know you care."

"How did you end up in the Dark Forest anyway?" Wolfpaw asked, pulling away. It was a signal that the soft moment of embrace was over and Vigilstorm and Snaketail parted, each cat acting like nothing happened.

Vigilstorm suddenly looked uncomfortable. He looked away and shuffled his paws, his earlier confidence suddenly gone. He cleared his throat loudly and looked up at his friends. "Um… There's something I haven't told you. Honestly, you two should've probably heard it from Roarpaw and Longstar or even Patternheart but we're here now and I'm… yeah. I'm just going to tell you."

Snaketail couldn't help but lean forward a bit. He knew his yellow eyes made him look intimidating when he was intrigued and he didn't want to scare Vigilstorm but he couldn't help himself. Whatever Vigilstorm was going to share, it caught his attention.

"So, um, a long, long time ago, ThunderClan had this great leader named Firestar," Vigilstorm began. He glanced at Snaketail. "I assume you know who he is?"

Snaketail nodded. "Echopelt told me about him when I was an apprentice. He's remembered as ThunderClan's greatest leader."

"Right. So long story short, he was given a prophecy of four cats who would save the clans. They were destined to have the power of the stars in their paws."

Wolfpaw gasped. "And you're one of those four cats?"

"What? No. Let me finish," Vigilstorm scolded, a hint of amusement on his voice. "The cats… Well, there's Firestar but the Three don't really like using names. Most of StarClan calls them the sharp eyed jay, the gentle dove, and the roaring lion."

"What do they have to do with this?" Snaketail asked.

Vigilstorm's lip twitched, a smirk almost forming on his face. "Hush, you. The Four died a long time ago but they still have more power than the stars. They knew the Dark Forest was going to strike back but they didn't want to fight them themselves. So…"

"You, Longstar, Patternheart, and Roarpaw got their powers," Wolfpaw realized aloud.

Vigilstorm nodded. "Don't get mad at them for not telling. I'm the only one who really knows anything about it. My power's dream walking. Perfect for gathering information and checking up on my mousebrained clanmates who the Dark Forest decided to play with."

"That… kind of makes a lot of sense," Snaketail said slowly, fighting back his surprise. He tried not to make his reaction a big deal but come on, the power of the stars in a living cat's paws? That was crazy. Oh, it wasn't like he didn't believe it. Snaketail's faith was always strong, even though he didn't express it all that well. He knew Vigilstorm was telling the truth. That didn't make it any less shocking.

Vigilstorm snorted. "Yeah. Jayf- er, the sharp eyed jay says that it makes anxiety worse and it's harder to be around a lot of cats. Would've been nice to know when I was a kit or when I was an apprentice."

"You were such a featherbrain back then," Snaketail teased. Vigilstorm rolled his eyes.

"So what are Roarpaw's powers?" Wolfpaw asked. "And Patternheart? And Longstar?"

"You'll just have to ask them when we get back," Vigilstorm told him, sobering up. He glanced around. "We still need to figure out how to get out of here."

Wolfpaw nodded. "I don't want to be stuck here forever."

Snaketail shot a glance in the direction of the Dark Forest. "Well, we wouldn't be here forever."

Vigilstorm caught his eye, gaze dead serious. "You don't want to go back there, do you?"

Snaketail hesitated, a very brief and not very spirited battle clashing in his heart. "No. I don't. I really, really don't."

"I just want to go home," Wolfpaw added.

Vigilstorm sighed. "Me too."

"That was all we needed to hear," a foreign voice cut in. The trio of cats whirled around, panicked and confused, before noticing that the mistline was receding. For a few fleeting moments of terror, Snaketail thought they were going to be thrown back into the Dark Forest but the mist was moving in the opposite direction. The mist pulled back slowly and parted, revealing an endless field covered in a coat of soft green grass.

As the mist receded, a pair of cats came into view. A blinding light surrounded them and for a moment, Snaketail couldn't identify them. He could vaguely make out a mottled brown pelt and a long-haired figure. When he was finally able to see clearly, he couldn't keep himself from breaking into a purr.

"Vinestar! Frostbark!" he cried, breaking away from Vigilstorm and Wolfpaw to run up to his former leader and medicine cat. Vinestar's amber eyes were ablaze with joy and he ran up to Snaketail, meeting him halfway. Snaketail thrust his muzzle into Vinestar's chest fur and rubbed his head against him. "I missed you so much!"

"And I missed you, Snaketail," Vinestar told him, nuzzling the top of his head. "But it's not time for our reunion quite yet. Are you ready to go back home?"


	16. When the Sun Goes Away

The acoustics on RiverClan territory were different from ThunderClan's woodland or WindClan's moor and incredibly so. In the forest, the trees obstructed the sound flow, the wood absorbing hints of noise, and the white noise made the world sound forever busy. WindClan, on the other paw, was open as the sky in greenleaf. The wind rushed freely over hills and heather, rustling each strand as it pleased, and the cries of small woodland creatures were replaced by the thumps of rabbits. The two territories were so close yet nothing alike.

And somehow, RiverClan territory was a mix of the two and something entirely different at the same time. There were still trees but they weren't as dense as ThunderClan territory. The land was vast and open but covered in water rather than grass, adding splashes and ripples to the bombardment of noises. It created a new type of tranquility that no other territory had any hope of matching.

The air was different too. Patternheart never noticed if the forest air was stuffy or not but when he was on the moor or the bank, it always felt so much cleaner. Everything on RiverClan territory had a clean, cool feel to it. The terrain was by no means a swamp but the earth was dark and damp under his paws, sliding with each step. And the stones were all water washed, coating them with something unique wholly to RiverClan.

Patternheart rather enjoyed it, especially because his powers made it so much easier to focus on each and every little detail. He knew his companions loved the new scenery too but now wasn't the time to take it slow and enjoy it.

Rushstalk and Echopelt stood on either side of him as the patrol padded deep into RiverClan territory, not bothering to wait for a patrol. They didn't have time for that and crossing through WindClan territory already took more time than Patternheart would've liked. They needed to pick up the pace.

Miraculously, the trio reached the entrance of the camp before seeing a single warrior. The RiverClan cats were clearly surprised at their arrival, a couple pawfuls of warriors pressing their ears back and hissing at the sight of them. Patternheart took a step back but Echopelt knew exactly what to do.

"We're just here to talk to Valorstar," Echopelt announced, raising his tail and stepping into the camp. His words seemed to placate the warriors a bit but they still looked nervous. Patternheart frowned. RiverClan and ThunderClan were always on good terms and the clans' mediator was the one speaking. Why were they so tense?

"Great StarClan, are all you furballs just going to lie there and not say anything?" a voice exasperated. Patternheart relaxed a bit as a bit of life came back to the camp, even if it was just cats shifting uncomfortably, as an old tom got to his paws and padded up to the newcomers. Patternheart recognized him as Goosesight, a RiverClan elder who retired early due to lifelong fading eye sight. As far as he knew, the tom could see well enough but poor vision paired with all the seasons spent serving his clan made a heavy burden.

"Thank you, Goosesight," Echopelt murmured as the elder beckoned the ThunderClan cats toward the leader's den. "I was worried for a moment there."

Goosesight snorted. "No need to be. The clan's just been nervous lately with the Others eyeing the border."

"Understandable," Rushstalk murmured. He was unusually tame, his pawsteps lacking their usual pep, but Patternheart didn't comment on it. Like RiverClan, his behavior was to be expected. The situation was too serious for clan rivalries or Rushstalk's humorous antics.

"Valorstar!" Goosesight called once the group reached the thickets where the leader's den awaited. "Echopelt and Patternheart and Rushstalk are here to see you."

Valorstar poked her head out of her den, her ginger fur and bright green eyes catching the sunlight for a moment, and stepped out with a friendly purr. "Echopelt, Patternheart, Rushstalk. To what do I owe the pleasure? I suppose it would be foolish of me to hope you came with good news?"

"Unfortunately," Patternheart responded. His tail whisked behind him, picking up pieces of damp earth as it brushed the surface of the sandy floor. "Something's happened with the Dark Forest."

Valorstar's expression hardened, growing serious. "Goosesight, you're dismissed."

The elder dipped his head and retreated as Valorstar wordlessly invited the ThunderClan cats to sit in her den. She wasted no time taking a seat and steeling herself for whatever the visitors had to say.

"Last night," Rushstalk began without hesitance, "Patternheart's apprentice Roarpaw woke up his denmates because his brother Wolfpaw was unresponsive. When they checked his pelt, claw marks began appearing. Roarpaw ran to get Vigilstorm and found him in the same state. When he went to Patternheart for help, they found Snaketail covered in blood as well and decided to wake up the camp."

"Great StarClan," Valorstar whispered, eyes going wide. "What happened?"

"They're fine," Patternheart said quickly. "Vigilstorm… Well, Vigilstorm didn't really talk about it but he promised they were fine and it wouldn't happen again. It sounded like he meant it. The three of them are resting in the medicine den right now. WindClan's medicine cats were summoned to help treat their wounds."

"But he did tell us that the Dark Forest cats have the power to prey on cats' dreams,'' Rushstalk jumped back in. "Vigilstorm says that it's not something we should be seriously worried about but it's definitely a sign that the Dark Forest is up to something and that means that the Others are too. Longstar wants to have a Gathering so the clans can discuss this."

"When?" Valorstar asked immediately, not missing a beat.

"Next moonrise," Echopelt told her.

"RiverClan will be there," Valorstar said, lowering her head. Patternheart felt a wave of relief and for a heartbeat, it really felt like everything was going to be alright.

* * *

Longstar's blue gaze was sharp and grave and Wolfpaw couldn't help but shrink under it ever so slightly when it landed on him. In the pitch of the night, the dressings and scrapes covering his pelt were hardly visible but it still felt like dozens of pairs of eyes zeroed in on every last mark. Cats probably were staring but Wolfpaw was trying his best to pretend they weren't. Usually he loved the attention but tonight, he just wanted to melt into the night.

Wolfpaw sat close to the front of the clan with Snaketail, Vigilstorm, Roarpaw, and Patternheart huddled around him. Longstar, the fourth cat in the prophecy Vigilstorm mentioned, was sitting up high on his place on the great oak. He was a clan leader after all. It wasn't a full moon but the moon was bright nonetheless. Perfect for a Gathering. Cats from all three remaining clans claimed their places on the spacious island and looked up at Longstar with intrigue. Even ThunderClan cats who already knew what happened looked interested. But Wolfpaw couldn't say he was. The thought of sitting through whatever Longstar was going to say made his pelt prickle with fear.

A warm flank pressed against his and Wolfpaw felt the soothing laps of his brother on his shoulder. Part of him wanted to pull away- after all, he was nearly a full grown cat and what warrior needed his brother to soothe him- but another part of him craved the comfort and leaned into his touch.

"Are we ready to begin?" Longstar asked, his powerful voice booming as it thundered across the island.

Valorstar and Talonstar exchanged a glance before nodding. "I believe we are."

"Good," Longstar responded with a curt nod, tucking his chin down to his chest briefly. He closed his eyes before looking up, resolution shining in their depths. "As I'm sure you've heard, three of my clanmates fell victim to the Dark Forest's claws the other night. Literally and figuratively. We will not be discussing their experiences publicly here tonight and I ask that no cats badger any one of them about what happened once we're finished."

"Then what are we here to talk about?" Talonstar asked, curling their red tail. "I was under the impression that you were going to warn us against a new threat."

"The Dark Forest is hardly a new threat," Valorstar snorted. "We knew the Others had help from above the night we first spoke with their leader."

"Indeed. The other night's events only told us that the situation is more dire than we thought," Longstar agreed.

"More dire than losing ShadowClan and SkyClan?" Talonstar said, muttering under their breath.

Longstar sighed sympathetically. "You know that's not what I meant, Talonstar. You know I miss Beanstar and Terrainstar as much as the next cat but there's nothing we can do about the missing clans right now. But we have learned that even if we keep the Others physically away from our borders, our clanmates can still be hurt."

"Then what are you proposing?"

"We take a figurative leaf from our ancestor's tree," Longstar responded, meeting Valorstar and Talonstar's eyes. "It's been seven moons since ShadowClan was initially driven out. We've lost two clans and many warriors, including ThunderClan's former leader and medicine cat. We have the ability to bring back the missing clans- I can confirm that they're alive- but we can't do that if there's no place for them to go and we can't risk letting cats from our own clans leave the territory."

The gathered cats broke into murmurs. Wolfpaw's ears pricked. ShadowClan and SkyClan were alright? How did Longstar know that? He desperately wanted to know but it didn't seem they were focusing on that right now.

"The Others have given no sign of being willing to settle this peacefully," Longstar went on, gaze sweeping the assembled cats. "You know that only means one thing."

"You're mad!" Talonstar exclaimed, ears pricking. They hissed though it was not hostile. "The Others control two territories and they've got the power of the Dark Forest on their side!"

"If I may speak," Snaketail spoke up from his place at the bottom of the tree. Eyes shifted so he was in the center of the island's attention. "Control of two territories does not equal power because that's what they lack. Control. The Others are spread too thinly to have any real power. And if you're worried about the Dark Forest, remember that we have StarClan watching out tails."

"I can confirm that StarClan and the other cats in Silverpelt have the ability to repress the Place of No Stars," Vigilstorm added. "It's not a guarantee and it may take some time but the Dark Forest's paws would be tied if we had a battle. I don't think they'd be able to physically interfere."

"When we have a battle," Longstar corrected. "It's inevitable which means we need to make the first move. Our clans have kits and elders so we can't afford a long, defensive war. If we strike hard and fast, we can end all of this with one battle instead of moons of war that would only batter our clans until no one had the strength to keep fighting. I'm confident if we work together and nothing unexpectedly startling happens, we can win."

Wolfpaw felt a flash of pride for his clanmates. Snaketail, his mentor, ever the strategist; Vigilstorm, his friend and medicine cat, attuned to the ways of the stars more than ever; and Loganstar, his leader and hero, always logical and clever. He cared for these cats and they were going to be the ones to save the clans.

"RiverClan agrees with this plan," Valorstar spoke.

"What?" Talonstar hissed, gaping at the other leader with shock. "You agree that easily?"

Valorstar met their gaze levelly. "Of course. RiverClan has been trying to keep the Others away from our borders for moons. WindClan is the furthest from the Others and shielded by two other territories so I don't expect you to understand but frankly I'm tired of having to send so many of my warriors to the border every day. Leaf-bare is setting in and that's always the roughest season for RiverClan to survive. I'd like to focus on the lake freezing over without having to worry about twolegplace cats trying to steal what little territory still has land prey."

Talonstar shuffled their paws. "You do have a point. WindClan has been lucky until now and I would like to lend a paw to my fellow leaders but we're not prepared to face the Others."

"Neither is ThunderClan," Longstar admitted, "but I wasn't suggesting that we attack right now. We need at least moon of preparation."

"I agree," Valorstar said. "Rotation?"

"Rotation," Longstar and Talonstar confirmed in unison.

"What's rotation again?" Roarpaw whispered to his brother.

"It's when the clans send a patrol of warriors to each of the other camps to help hunt and practice battlemoves," Wolfpaw whispered back. "Remember, Longstar told us about it when we first found out about the Dark Forest."

"Oh. Right."

"So it's decided?" Talonstar asked. "We can discuss strategy later but for now, we should all get ready to send warriors and apprentices to each other's camps."

"Right," Longstar said. "We'll survive this if we stand together."

* * *

"Are you sure you should be out of your nest?"

Snaketail ignored Patternheart's call, pushing into the training clearing with his apprentice bouncing after him excitedly. He beckoned for him to sit down which Wolfpaw did in a heartbeat. Snaketail felt a small flash of satisfaction that his apprentice had come this far but he shook his head and focused on what he came here to tell him. "Wolfpaw, we're going to step up your training. You're going to survive the upcoming battle and I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure it."

Wolfpaw nodded seriously. "What are we starting with?"

"Woah, woah," Roarpaw interrupted, barging into the clearing with Patternheart close behind. He stumbled a bit in his hurry but stood sturdily on all four paws by the time he came to a stop between mentor and apprentice. "You're both injured. The rotation hasn't even started yet. You need to rest."

"Vigilstorm gave us the clear," Snaketail told him. He put a paw on Roarpaw's face and pushed him away to continue speaking to his apprentice. "You already know Dark Forest moves so I'm not going to bother teaching them to you. What I'm going to teach you is better."

"Hey! Are you listening to me?" Roman cried, batting Snaketail's paw off his muzzle.

Wolfpaw nodded seriously, ignoring his brother and keeping his eyes trained on his mentor. "Are you going to show me how you adapted them?"

Snaketail made a noise of confirmation. "Yes. This fighting style requires extreme balance, a lot of speed and high momentum control, and near perfect precision. Are you up for this?"

"Born that way," Wolfpaw responded with a smirk, the sun catching the green of his eyes. For a moment, they seemed to glow. Snaketail matched the expression and purred.

"That's the spirit."

Patternheart stepped between the two, pulling the indignant Roarpaw away from them before he could do something drastic. He looked at Snaketail with worried eyes, taking a step forward so he couldn't ignore him. "Are you sure you're up for this, Snaketail?"

"I have to be," Snaketail told him. "This battle will change the fate of the clans and I'd sooner rip my own tail off than sit this one out."

Lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Dawn's light was barely creeping over the horizon when he stepped onto the ThunderClan-SkyClan border, his medicine cat Vigilstorm and the clans' mediator Echopelt at his side. As decided, a moon of shared training and hunting took place and the three remaining clans stood stronger than ever.

Longstar shot a worried glance at Vigilstorm to once again assure himself that the tabby's injuries were healed. They were, Vigilstorm told him that StarClan's light healed them for the most part before he woke up, but Longstar couldn't help but worry about his young friend. Vigilstorm noticed his stare and shot him a playful glance over his shoulder, sticking his tongue out. Longstar forced his fur to lie flat.

RiverClan and WindClan's representatives agreed to meet at the border just before sunup and there was still some time before then but Longstar found himself agitated and impatient. Was this what Vigilstorm felt like all the time? This was how he described anxiety, a constant feeling of unease and the sense that there is something wrong without the immediate ability to do anything. He hated it but knew he couldn't act on it. The clans were looking up to him as leader of ThunderClan and their fate was relying on him as one of the Four. He couldn't afford to give in.

"I hope we didn't keep you waiting," a voice spoke, interrupting his thoughts. He turned to see Valorstar and Talonstar approaching with their medicine cats Ravenfur and Stonestream.

"You didn't," Longstar responded, turning his gaze back to the border. "Are your warriors in position?"

Valorstar nodded and stepped to stand beside him. "Our deputies are handling it. I saw Darkclaw speaking to Snaketail myself."

"Good."

"Are we sure Lizard will show?" Talonstar spoke up, creeping forward. "We haven't seen her in moons."

"I'm not certain," Longstar admitted. "The patrol I sent told a messenger that we wanted to meet this morning and we were told Lizard would come but we have no way of knowing if she'll keep her word."

Talonstar frowned. "If we're being honest, I don't know if I want her to."

"Me neither," Longstar sighed. "But we can't keep putting this off. Today we end this."

"Agreed," a foregin voice cut in. Longstar shivered at the sound of it, the words rolling over his pelt like ooze from the swamp. Out from SkyClan's undergrowth stepped a large ginger she-cat.

"Lizard," Longstar stated, trying to keep the hiss out of his voice. He eyed Lizard's two ever loyal followers. Like the first time he saw her, they were flanking her, similar malicious gleams in their eyes. "Cat. Orange."

"It's a pleasure," Orange drawled, whisking his tail lazily.

"Can't say the same," Cat grunted. His ears were flat and his eyes were narrow. Longstar didn't know if that was a good thing or not. On one paw, a complacent cat like Orange would be easy to deal with but the ThunderClan leader had a feeling the tom was just putting on a show. On the other, Cat very well could be the threat here. Longstar couldn't tell and that was a problem. "Why did you ask us here?"

"You drove our friends out of their homes. You killed our clanmates. You side with the Dark Forest. You didn't think we'd be amicable forever, did you?" Longstar questioned, the corners of his lips curving up ever so slightly as his tail whisked behind him. "We've come to discuss terms."

Lizard snorted. "Peace was your idea, clan cat. There are no terms! If you cannot wait any longer, the Others will destroy the clans before the sunsets."

"And we are prepared to fight," Talonstar vowed, taking a step to stand protectively beside Longstar, pelt bristling with hostility.

"Attack us and you'll face the fury of the three last clans," Valorstar said, taking Longstar's other side.

"What will it be?" Longstar asked, almost cocky, as his deep blue eyes met Lizard's red ones.

"I say… We fight!"


	17. Final Battle

**Author's Note:** This chapter is late. This one was supposed to go up on Monday and the next chapter on Friday and it's Thursday morning right now. I'd say I'm sorry but I came out on Tuesday so I've been panicking/ riding the high about that and I just forgot this story existed. This is a crazy chapter though so hopefully it makes up for it.

* * *

Vigilstorm crouched in fear as an explosion of yowls filled his ears. He pressed against Echopelt's side, eyes wide with shock, as cats flew out of nowhere. Others or clan cats, he didn't know. It was impossible to tell. He just knew that the border just became a battlefield.

Cats were flying out of nowhere from all directions. He could hear fighting so that had to mean that clan cats already abandoned their hiding places around the meeting to join the fight. It didn't provide him with any comfort. The sudden break out was unexpected and he had no time to prepare. His powers alerted him of the sudden surge of emotions and adrenaline rushing through the cats around him, momentarily overwhelming him. His breaths became rapid as he tried to regain his hold on himself.

Vigilstorm didn't have the chance though. Within heartbeats, he was torn from Echopelt's side as a massive tortoiseshell barreled into him. Vigilstorm yowled as he tumbled over the earth, thrashing wildly. Neither cat had any sort of footing but the tortoiseshell was already whaling on him.

When they stopped rolling, the tortoiseshell flipped them over so Vigilstorm's back was pinned against the ground. Her paws were on his throat in an instant, her hind paws keeping him still and preventing any struggling. The fight had just begun but already Vigilstorm could feel adrenaline fueled panic rising in his chest as a realization dawned on him: these cats followed no code. They had no reason to hold back. In fact, they had every reason to kill.

Vigilstorm whipped his head back and forth, trying to free himself to take a breath. His lungs were well past feeling tight but the tortoiseshell's hold was strong. Her yellow eyes bore deep into Vigilstorm and he could feel his heart in his throat. Oh StarClan, she wasn't going to let up was she? He was going to die right there, right at the start of the battle.

He knew there were going to be casualties but Vigilstorm thought he'd at least do something before his time came. He supposed he already did something. He brought awareness to the other members of the Four about their powers and used his own to save Wolfpaw and Snaketail. Maybe he could join Jayfeather in the mist satisfied with what he did in life.

The tortoiseshell's eyes gleamed as Vigilstorm started going limp. Vigilstorm let his eyes roll back, not wanting her face to be the last thing he saw. Already, black spots were filling his vision from the lack of air. He let his muscles relax and his body press into the earth without a fight.

The tortoiseshell's weight eased up and Vigilstorm was suddenly filled with a fresh wave of instinct. Survive. Survive, his mind told him. Blaringly loud, he couldn't lift a claw to resist the sudden, overwhelming urge. That voice in the back of his mind was yowling for him to _move move move_.

With a rush of newfound power, Vigilstorm reached up and lashed out blindly with his forepaws. A strangled cry could be heard and Vigilstorm was splashed with warm, liquid red. He hardly noticed it, doing everything he could to throw his attacker off of him. It was until he was a clean tail length away that he realized he'd sliced open something vital.

"Oh mouse dung," he whispered, watching the tortoiseshell collapse before him. For a heartbeat, his medicine cat instincts kicked in and he felt the need to apply pressure to the spilling wound on her throat but his sturdy will won out. She was the enemy. She just tried to kill him. She didn't deserve his mercy. Only a fool would offer it.

Vigilstorm stumbled away numbly, only too aware of all the cats around him fighting. He broke into a run, weaving around countless smaller battles in the massive mass. He didn't know where he was trying to go. He only knew he wasn't supposed to be here. He was a medicine cat for StarClan's sake! His place on the battlefield was the sidelines and he was standing on the forefront. Snaketail should be here, not him. Or Roarpaw and Patternheart. Yeah, the other members of the Three would be a lot more useful here.

He needed to find them. Roarpaw and Patternheart, that is. The three needed to be together, shouldn't they? Or the Four, rather. They should be beside Longstar as well. Great StarClan, his thoughts were so scattered. Should he find Snaketail and Wolfpaw too? And Rushstalk and Echopelt? Maybe his littermates? No, now he was just panicking. Getting all the cats he cared about in one place would do nothing useful in the slightest. He just needed to find Roarpaw and Patternheart.

* * *

Snaketail snaked over the earth with speed rivaling his namesake and launched himself upward to furiously batter a brown tabby's face. He hissed, countless claw marks appearing on his face, and turned tail, fleeing. Snaketail neatly landed back on all fours in a heartbeat but had no time to rest.

"Wolfpaw," he called. His apprentice was finishing off a scrawny black tom and couldn't afford to turn his head but he twitched an ear in acknowledgement. "I need to find Longstar. Go find your brother when you get the chance, alright?"

Snaketail took off, not waiting for a response. Around him, the battle still raged on. It was about halfway to sunhigh and the battle had been long and rocky. The plan initially had been for the leaders to confront the Others' leader and the rest of the clans' warriors to lie in wait for the opportunity to jump in. Snaketail was the cat to lead that movement and the cats had spread pretty far over ThunderClan and SkyClan territory. Snaketail himself ended up almost all the way back onto WindClan territory but he wasn't thinking about how wide the battlefield had become. Right now he just wanted to get back to the center of the fight.

Thankfully, Snaketail was almost as fast and sleek as a WindClan warrior so he was able to weave around tussingly toms and shrieking she-cats and courageous cats of all kinds with relative ease. A pawful of times, he nearly got dragged into another fight, his heart unable to handle seeing his comrades and clanmates getting injured, but he held strong and kept to his path.

The good clanmate in Snaketail wanted to help his friends. He walked past Inktrail clawing up a tiny tabby, Hedgepaw and Hazelpaw teaming up against a large she-cat, Spiderwatcher taking on two toms at once, and so many other cats who could've used his help but Snaketail turned a blind eye to them. It made his pelt prickle with guilt but he had more important things to focus on.

This was his fault. The Others, the Dark Forest, everything. It was Snaketail's fault. He knew the thought wasn't entirely justified but knowing and believing were two different things and he believed it with everything he had. Before Wolfpaw, he was the only cat the Dark Forest chose to take an interest in. That had to mean something, right? It meant he had some wrongs to right, that's what.

When he found Longstar, he was only a few tree lengths away from the place the battle originally startled. He was locked in fierce combat with the Others' leader Lizard. Deja vu flashed through Snaketail's mind. This was the exact scene he had stumbled upon all those moons ago. Great StarClan, it felt like so long since Vinestar died let alone since the Others arrived in the forest. Had it already been eight moons? Wolfpaw and Roarpaw were nearing the age to receive their warrior assessments, he reckoned. Now wasn't the time to worry about that though. They just needed to get through the day.

With a yowl, Snaketail flew into battle. The ground was uneven and he was perfectly positioned to fling himself at Lizard's back. She was reared on her hindpaws, ready to come crashing down on Longstar, when Snaketail slammed into her. Snaketail sank his claws into her shoulders and bit down as hard as he could on the back of her neck, earning a yowl from the ginger tabby.

Longstar looked surprised to see his deputy. "What are you doing here? Where's your apprentice?"

"Doesn't matter. Shut up and help me," Snaketail responded, shifting his weight to his upper body so he could hold on while slashing with his hind paws. Longstar joined him quickly, running up from behind to latch his claws and teeth onto Lizard's tail.

The she-cat snarled. "Get off!"

She kicked out with her hind paws but only succeeded in making Snaketail's grip loosen for a heartbeat. She growled and snapped, trying to inflict some damage, but both warriors were out of her range. They knew it, she knew it, and she was clearly getting frustrated.

Suddenly, there were teeth on Snaketail's shoulder. He had no time to react, save the widening of his yellow eyes, before he was yanked off and thrown into the forest.

Snaketail was forced to roll over the forest floor, dirt getting caught in his short fur. He slammed into a tree, coming to a stop. He shook his head, disoriented, and tried to locate his attacker only to be met with a set of claws. He turned his head quickly to avoid getting clawed in the face and tried his best to deflect the blows with his paws.

"Thought you of all cats would be a better fighter," the cat said, slashing his claws over Snaketail's ear. "Ripplestar speaks highly of you."

That got Snaketail's attention. He took a risk and exposed his belly so he could properly use his firepaws. Putting them on the cat's shoulders, he forced him back and managed to maneuver his hind paws under him. Once he could stand again, he reared up and began landing blow after blow on the cat. Now that he could see properly, Snaketail recognized him as Lizard's right-paw cat, Orange.

"You know of Ripplestar and you still side with him and the Dark Forest?" Snaketail hissed.

Orange shrugged and reared up to match Snaketail's swipes. "Who am I to question who Lizard listens to? If it means I get to fill my belly with forest prey, I don't really care about any of that ghost cat stuff."

One of Orange's claws caught Snaketail's cheek and the warrior knew he'd have to change something about his approach to the battle if he was going to defeat Orange without getting overpowered. He ducked under one of Orange's strikes but instead of rising back up, he flattened and shot forward so he was now under the twolegplace cat. Soft underbelly came into view and Snaketail raked his claws across it, splattering warm blood onto his face.

Orange yowled and sprang back but Snaketail already had a good hold on his tail and pulled him back. "You know that gives you no right to invade our homes, right? You displaced and killed dozens of our friends just because you were tired of eating your nice kittypet food?"

Orange coiled around and swiped at Snaktail's head, trying to get him to release his tail. "Hey, I'm no kittypet. Street cats have groups like you clan cats, mouse brain. I follow Lizard and if Lizard says we can eat more than just bin scraps, I'm not going to fight her on it."

Snaketail let go of the tail before the strike could land and rolled out of the way. Using his momentum, he exploded back to his paws and latched onto Orange's side, biting and clawing furiously. "But why here? There's plenty of land beyond the lake."

"Look, Lizard's got it in her head that some good will come out of listening to the Dark Forest, not me, so stop asking me questions like I'm the one who decided to come here," Orange snapped. He threw his weight to one side, trying to push Snaketail away. He turned his head and tried to bite him but couldn't reach, instead settling for just turning his body and trying to do it with his paws.

If he could afford to, Snaketail would've froze in shock. "You don't agree with what Lizard's doing?"

"Of course not," Orange scoffed. "As much as I like forest prey, I don't want to live out here. It's all cold and wet and I'm tired of having to deal with you guys on our borders. I originally wanted to go to another twolegplace but Lizard insisted moving out here would be better long term."

"Wait. Wait, stop fighting, furball." Snaketail shoved Orange away from him with two paws firmly. The cat tumbled back a bit but didn't fall and the two toms stood facing each other, neither making a move quite yet.

Orange's blue eyes narrowed. "What are you doing? This better not be a trick."

"It's not," Snaketail promised, "unless you turn against me."

"Fine. Whatever," Orange spat.

Snaketail nearly took a step back. "Wait, really?"

"Yes. You seem like a sensible cat. I'll hear you out," Orange responded with an irritated sigh. "Now what do you want?"

"Well… um…" Snaketail's mind scrambled to find the words he wanted to say. He didn't expect Orange to stop fighting so quickly. "So Lizard is a Dark Forest cat?"

Orange nodded. "Deeply. There are some rumors going around that she's the first Dark Forest cat reborn but I really doubt that's true."

"And Cat?"

"Her mate. I don't know what his deal is but I met his sister once. She's nothing like him. I guess he was just the bad kit in the litter. They're not completely messed up but they're both crazy strong fighters and they don't really care about the wellbeing of individual cats."

"So I take it you're kind of a… middle cat between the Others' leadership and the average street cat?"

"I guess you could say that."

"So not everyone is completely okay with what Lizard's done? Some cats think like you?"

"I guess. But most cats follow Lizard blindly."

"What? Why? If they disagree with her…"

"You follow your clan leaders, don't you? They've been gifted with StarClan's light or whatever. We street cats may not follow the Dark Forest like you clan cats do StarClan but we respect the powers of Silverpelt. Cats look up to Lizard for that alone."

"But not all?" Snaketail emphasized. He took a step forward and to his relief, Orange didn't back up.

"What are you getting at?"

"Can you call off some of your cats?"

Orange laughed. "That's your big plan? Why would I do that?"

"Hear me out," Snaketail insisted. "We outnumber you and we're trained but if we all stop now, less cats will get hurt and we can all go home faster. Once the clans have recovered and every cat is safe, Longstar was planning on sending out some cats to get ShadowClan and SkyClan."

Orange snorted. "They're long gone."

"Yes but we've got some gifted cats in the clan," Snaketail went on, not missing a beat. "My friend Patternheart… er, has a way to locate them. He already has. In fact, our medicine cat Vigilstorm shared a dream with ShadowClan and SkyClan's medicine cats, Longear and Sneezefeather. If they're coming back here, they have no use for the territory they're currently on, right? Clan cats are picky about their hunting grounds so it's bound to be good land."

"Are you offering us a new home?"

"... Maybe?"

Orange sighed. "You're a gutsy cat, I'll give you that. Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay, I agree. I'll go tell any cats I think will listen to stop fighting."

"Really?" Snaketail hadn't expected it to be that easy. This had to be a trap. Orange was going to laugh at him any moment now.

"Really. Now, if Lizard or Cat get wind of this, I'm making dirt in your fresh-kill, you got that Snaketail?"

Snaketail nodded and Orange dipped his head in respect before flicking his tail and darting off, leaving a bewildered Snaketail.

Holy fox dung. It really was that easy.

* * *

Roarpaw yowled in victory as the last twolegplace cat fled the clearing he stood in. He stood up tall, amber eyes catching the sunlight, and shook the blood off his russet fur. Any other cat would be concerned but there wasn't a wound on his pelt to worry about. Thank StarClan for his powers or today would be a lot scarier than it already was.

"You look like you're having fun," a voice commented. Roarpaw whipped around to see his brother creeping out of the woodland. For a heartbeat, he panicked and his eyes frantically searched Wolfpaw for injury only to find he was relatively uninjured.

"This is serious," Roarpaw scolded, bounding over to his littermate. Wolfpaw's eyes glowed and he met him halfway, the brothers rubbing their heads against each other affectionately. No words needed to be exchanged to let the other know how much either cat worried for the other.

"Serious things can be fun."

"Not fighting."

"Not fighting," Wolfpaw repeated with a hum of agreement. He pulled back and looked around. "You got pushed back pretty far. We're practically on ShadowClan territory."

Roarpaw looked around and saw that he wasn't where he'd thought he'd been. Roarpaw had been fighting alongside Patternheart in an oak clearing when half a dozen cats jumped them. With his powers, Roarpaw knew he needed to be the one to lead them away but it seemed he'd ended up in the pine forest in the process. "Huh. I guess you're right."

"Where's Patternheart?"

"Um… I don't know," Roarpaw realized. He looked down and shuffled his paws. How had he lost track of his mentor? They were supposed to stay together. "I'm sure he's fine… Wait. Where's Snaketail?"

"Ran off to help Longstar," Wolfpaw sighed. He sounded annoyed but there was a hint of affection in the tone. "I don't really know what happened between Snaketail and Vinestar but Snaketail acts like Longstar is the heir to his life or something. No way he'd let him fight alone."

Roarpaw snorted. "I suppose we should go find them then?"

* * *

Running across the battlefield was terrifying. There were a few clear paths in the fighting but everywhere he looked, Wolfpaw saw two or more cats locked in a fight. There were clear rings where two cats claimed their battles would take place and there was an unspoken agreement that every cat would stay in his or her own area. Each little section was its own world and in that world, a fight for life was happening. Wolfpaw hated it. He was always one to enjoy darker themes and the more unpleasant things in life but above all, he was a social cat. He loved others and loved that unshakable bond between all of catkind. He enjoyed fighting but not like this. He liked play fighting between kin and verbal combat between cats strong and passionate enough to stand up for their beliefs. Not this struggle for life or death.

Roarpaw seemed to be affected by it too. Occasionally, his paws would ever so slightly veer from his tracks like he wanted to leap back into battle and aid his comrades but he always shook himself and kept his eyes fixed on the path his paws had to take.

"Just catch up," Wolfpaw sighed eventually.

Roarpaw looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me. We can both see Antpatch struggling with that white tom. He's literally right there. Go help him. I know I'm fast but you shouldn't have any problem catching up when you're done."

Roarpaw looked hesitant. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Wolfpaw nodded. "Now go."

Roarpaw gave him a short nod and dove into battle, tearing the white tom off his clanmates' shoulders. Wolfpaw didn't bother stopping, knowing his brother could handle himself. He recognized where he was now and he knew he couldn't be too far from where Longstar and the other leaders were supposed to be.

A hint of grey caught his vision followed by a flash of ginger. Wolfpaw barely had time to skid to a stop on the sandy floor when a pair of wrestling cats was thrown in front of him. For a moment, he couldn't react as he watched Longstar and Lizard snarl, scratch, tear, and hiss at each other with the fury of a hoard of badgers. Each cat was fighting furiously and Wolfpaw was almost afraid to step in. He didn't see any openings.

That was until Longstar managed to get the upper paw and press Lizard's back against the ground. He hadn't noticed Wolfpaw yet, eyes gleaming as they focused on his adversary. He poised his paw to strike, ready to end this...

Only for Lizard's paw to come up and rake across his throat. Longstar stumbled back, collapsing onto the earth, and all Wolfpaw saw was red.

"Longstar!" Wolfpaw cried and shot forward. The ThunderClan leader sank into the ground but managed to look up at the apprentice when he reached his side. His eyes flashed with recognition but his gaze was distant. Longstar opened his mouth but all that escaped his lips was a wet gurgle before his eyes rolled back and his head fell back. "Longstar!"

Lizard was breathing hard. She spat a tuft of dark grey fur and wiped her mouth with the back of her paw. "He put up a good fight but I've got to say I expected it to take more than just one good blow to finish him."

"You killed him!"

Lizard snorted. "Please. I know your clan leader can get up again after getting a wound like that. Step aside, clan cat."

Lizard lunged forward but Wolfpaw was faster. Howling like his namesake, Wolfpaw reared up on his hind paws and slammed into her dead on with his full weight. Clearly not expecting it, he managed to knock Lizard back a full fox length. She rolled and when she managed to focus on him again, Wolfpaw was standing protectively in front of Longstar's body, face twisted into a seething snarl. His russet fur was fluffed up so he looked twice his normal size and his green eyes were narrowed with rage. "No. You step away. I'm not letting you anywhere near him."

Lizard pulled herself to her paws, shaking her pelt to clean off any dirt or blood clinging to her fur. "It's your death wish, clan cat."

"Lay a paw on him and it's yours!" a voice roared and a second streak of red was on top of the Others' leader. Wolfpaw relaxed visibly as he watched his brother score a swipe across Lizard's face. "No one threatens my brother and gets away with it!"

Wolfpaw turned away, knowing that Roarpaw was going to win this one. His powers really were a blessing, weren't they? If only Longstar's powers were of any use on the battlefield. He still didn't know exactly know what they were but he knew for certain that the ability to lead without fear did nothing to help against a blow to the throat.

Wolfpaw crouched beside Longstar, looking over him with uncertainty. He was almost positive that Longstar lost a life but how could he know? The only leader he knew who'd died within his lifetime was Vinestar and that was when he'd lost his final life. Granted, he lost more than one that day but Wolfpaw hadn't witnessed the loss of any of them. He had no idea if Longstar was okay or not. Oh, please StarClan let him be okay.

Longstar was deathly still. Okay, Wolfpaw would admit that was a given. Honestly, he'd be panicking a lot more right now if Longstar wasn't as still as he was. That would be pretty awesome th- Nope. Nope. Not the time to think about that. Great StarClan, why was his mind like this? Was there something wrong with him? Probably. Normal cats didn't have thoughts as intrusive as his but Wolfpaw couldn't afford to dwell on that right now. Longstar was lying dead right in front of him and he wasn't doing anything. He didn't know what he could do other than make sure no cat came over to mess with his body but he felt so useless just sitting here like this.

Longstar was a tall, thin cat but right now, right here with his light grey fur matted with blood and his piercing blue eyes closed off from the world, he looked so small. And weak. Two things the leader wasn't. It looked wrong and Wolfpaw just wanted everything to go back to normal.

Wolfpaw tried not to look at the wound on his neck but the color of blood stood out against his fur so starkly and that made it difficult. He wondered if he should try to put pressure on the wound. Would that help or would that interfere with StarClan's healing process? He had no idea. Who thought it was a good idea to leave an apprentice with the clan leader? Wolfpaw had no idea what he was doing.

Then, to his relief, Longstar's body spasmed. Beautiful, clear blue eyes snapped open and Longstar gasped, jerking awake. Wolfpaw jumped to his paws, startled, and broke into a purr. "You're alive!"

"I'm alive," Longstar rasped, pushing himself into a seated position. He coughed but no blood came up. Wolfpaw noticed that the wound on his neck was closed. Not gone but closed and no longer bleeding. That was more than enough to make him happy. "Great StarClan. I feel like a tree fell on me."

"You should. Your fight with Lizard was something fierce."

"Lizard? I… Oh. How many lives did I lose? Did she attack me while I was down?"

Wolfpaw shook his head. "I kept her back until Roarpaw came."

"Roarpaw? He's fighting her now?" Longstar asked. Wolfpaw nodded. A smirk formed on Longstar's face. "Then we should join him, shouldn't we?"

* * *

Patternheart decided he didn't like fighting.

He never liked it, exactly, but today's events made him realize he liked it less than he thought he did. Battle was so loud. It wasn't even the yowling. He could hear each time a cat unsheathed his claws, the blood roaring in every cat's ears, each time fur ripped off a cat, the wails of a cat when he or she found a fallen friend or clanmate, final words being exchanged, threats and insults, the last breaths of so many cats… It was all so much.

And he couldn't make it stop or even step away. He just kept fighting through the middle of it all and try to block out the sounds to the best of his ability. So he did. Maybe too well.

"Patternheart!" Vigilstorm yowled. Patternheart looked away from the fleeing cats just foxlengths away to see Vigilstorm standing atop a ridge, looking down at him. He bounded down and butted the older tom's shoulder affectionately. "I've been looking all over for you! You weren't responding. I thought something had happened! Don't do that again!"

Patternheart purred softly. "Sorry, 'paw. I couldn't _ear_ you over all this fighting. Really, I didn't know if I could take much _moor_ of this."

Vigilstorm groaned at the puns. "Really? Now?"

"Yes now. Your ear is bleeding and somehow I got pushed all the way back to WindClan territory. Now's the perfect time for puns."

"My ear is bleeding?" Vigilstorm swiped a paw over his ear and looked at it, finding a glimmer of red. "Great. Well, I can worry about it later. Come on, some warriors told me that the edges of the battlefield have been cleaned out. We're all heading inward."

Patternheart padded after him without hesitation. "How much have you seen?"

"Enough," Vigilstorm grunted as they pushed back into the forest. Really, Patternheart hadn't realized how far he'd gotten. The clans had expected the battle to remain on ThunderClan and SkyClan territory. Did this mean ShadowClan territory had been touched too?

The two toms broke into a run and crossed the forest with ease. As they neared the heart of the battle, Patternheart noticed fewer and fewer twolegplace cats and more and more clan cats. When he saw his brother, Patternheart could have cried in relief.

"Echopelt!" Patternheart called, waving his tail to get his brother's attention.

Echopelt was talking to Rushstalk but looked up at the sound of his name. His green gaze lit up with joy at the sight of his brother. "Patternheart!"

The littermates ran toward each other and nuzzled affectionately as Rushstalk and Vigilstorm casually strolled up to each other. Rushstalk shot him a playful smirk and pushed him softly. "Hey short stuff."

"I'm not short. You're just tall."

Rushstalk snorted. "Hardly. Have you seen Longstar? That cat is like all leg, I'm telling you. Speaking of my brother, everyone's heading that way. Shall we join them?"

"We were just heading that way ourselves," Patternheart said, regretfully pulling away from Echopelt. It was nice to see that he was alright. Echopelt looked a bit worse for wear, it looked like at least one of his claws had been ripped out, but he was alive and well. Out of the three brothers, Echopelt was the only one who wasn't a warrior. The mediator, of course, had more than enough battle training to hold his own but Patternheart still couldn't help but worry. Afterall, what were brothers for?

The group closed in on their intended location and the majority of the remaining clan cats standing in some sort of ring. Patternheart and Vigilstorm exchanged a glance before pushing in, trying to see what was going on. Part of Patternheart was afraid to see what they would find but a bigger part of him was confident. The tides of battle had been in their favor until now. There was no reason for that to change.

When they reached the front of the assembly of cats, Patternheart saw that he was right.

Longstar, Wolfpaw, and Roarpaw stood hackles raised before Lizard while Talonstar and Valorstar glared down Cat. A few foxlengths away, Snaketail was sitting casually under a tree with Orange without a care in the world. Confused, Patternheart tilted his head and silently asked what was going on. Snaketail mouthed that he would tell him later.

"Almost all of your followers have fled or agreed to stop fighting," Longstar began, standing over the pair of Others. "You're vastly outnumbered and frankly I'm not feeling very merciful so I'm only going to give you one chance here. Return to the twolegplace and revoke your connection with the Dark Forest or we will kill you right here and now."

Lizard glowered but dipped her head and let out a breath of defeat. "Fine."

"Cat?"

"I surrender as well," Cat sighed. He turned and began padding away. The wall of cats broke, creating an opening for him and Lizard to walk through. Cat paused and glanced over his shoulder. He opened his mouth to speak but decided against it and turned away wordlessly.

Patternheart and Vigilstorm watched them for a few moments before rushing to join their friends. Patternheart's blue eyes lit up with joy. "We did it! We won! Does this mean we can get ShadowClan and SkyClan back?"

Longstar met his gaze and purred, nodding softly. "Yes. It does."

"After we all get some well deserved rest," Vigilstorm spoke up. Light danced in his purple eyes. "I feel like I could sleep for a moon."


	18. Epilouge

"Keep still," Wolfpaw grumbled for what felt like the dozenth time. "You vibrating like that isn't going to change anything."

"I'm sorry, I'm just excited," Roarpaw responded, tucking in his paws in hopes that sitting on them would keep his excited shaking contained enough to appease his brother. It was unlikely that would be the case but, hey, at least he was trying. "It's been over a moon since the battle and this is going to be the first Gathering with all five clans since… Well, since we've been able to go to Gatherings!"

Wolfpaw blinked, the realization dawning on him. "Hey, you're right. I never realized it but we've been apprentices since the Others invaded. Great StarClan, it's been nine moons since then."

"It hasn't really felt like that long, has it?"

Wolfpaw shook his head, a purr rumbling in his chest. "No. No, it hasn't. Do you think we've changed since then?"

"Definitely," Roarpaw said but didn't continue. He looked away. Wolfpaw opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when he noticed that ShadowClan finally arrived at the Gathering and had begun to cross the bridge. The clans hushed for a few heartbeats before breaking into excited, celebratory yowls.

"ShadowClan! ShadowClan! ShadowClan!" Patternheart called and the rest of the cats soon joined his chant. The ShadowClan cats looked a bit embarrassed but most of them glowed under the chant, happy to finally be home.

Beanstar took a leap and claimed their place on the oak alongside the other leaders. They dipped their head to them. "Thank you for restoring ShadowClan's place in the forest. Longstar, I'm sorry to see that Vinestar's joined StarClan but I can already see that you're a fantastic leader. He'd be proud of you."

"Thank you, Beanstar," Longstar responded with a dip of his head. "I'm happy to see ShadowClan's leader back in our ranks. Now shall we begin this Gathering? Perhaps SkyClan and ShadowClan can share where they took refuge for all these moons?"

"There's not much of a story to tell," Terrainstar began. "After the Others drove us out, we fled to SkyClan's old gorge. It was a far cry from our pine and oak forests but there was plenty of prey and we made some friends on the way. Still, there's no place like home."

"ShadowClan followed the old path the clans took during the Great Journey," Beanstar explained. "We didn't go all the way back, of course. We found a nice place about halfway to the mountains. But, like Terrainstar said, there's no place like home."

"Well, we're happy to have our neighbors back as well," Valorstar said. "I trust you don't have any news?"

Both SkyClan and ShadowClan's leaders shook their heads. "I'm interested to hear how WindClan, ThunderClan, and RiverClan were affected by the battle."

"Some of WindClan's rabbits were scared away but prey's still running. The battle was mostly on ThunderClan territory," Talonstar spoke up. They looked at Valorstar. "I don't think RiverClan's land was affected at all."

"It wasn't," Valorstar said. She looked to Longstar. "How is ThunderClan's recovery coming along?"

"Well," Longstar responded. He tucked his paws a bit closer to his body, long tail flicking behind him. "Thank you to my deputy Snaketail for overseeing repairs. Most of the undergrowth was crushed and we've had to start doing a bit of terraforming to encourage fresh growth but I doubt we will see much of anything until new-leaf. The territory as a whole is undamaged. The camp wasn't touched and there's still plenty of prey."

"That's good news," Terrainstar spoke.

"It is," Longstar agreed with a nod. "Now, if no cat minds, there is one thing I'd like to do tonight. Roarpaw, step forward."

Roarpaw's amber eyes went wide with surprise. He glanced at his brother. Wolfpaw smirked and shoved him toward Longstar as the leader jumped down off the oak. Roarpaw stumbled a bit but stopped before his leader and dipped his head respectfully.

"Patternheart," Longstar called. "Has your apprentice proved himself worthy of his warrior name?"

Wolfpaw froze and locked eyes with Roarpaw. He was getting his warrior name? He deserved it, of course, but Wolfpaw just wasn't expecting it. They were old enough but neither cat received his warrior assessment yet, though that wasn't exactly a requirement.

Excitement flashed in Patternheart's eyes and he nodded vigorously. "Oh, he's more than ready."

"Then I, Longstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn," Longstar spoke to the night sky. He lowered his gaze, features wrinkling with pride as his eyes fell on the russet apprentice. "Roarpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

Roarpaw swallowed. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Roarpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Roarswipe. StarClan honors your courage and virtue, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Thank you, Longstar," Roarswipe breathed as Longstar rested his muzzle on the new warrior's head. He swiped his leader's shoulder fur with his tongue and briefly closed his eyes, relishing in the moment.

"Of course."

Roarswipe took a step back and shared an excited look with his brother. Wolfpaw purred and gave him a nod of approval. Happiness for his brother bubbled up in his belly. Sure, he was sad that his brother got his name long before he would. That meant he'd have to take his assessment on his own when the time came and he'd have to sit his vi-

"Snaketail," Longstar spoke. "Has your apprentice, Wolfpaw, learned the skills of a warrior? Has he learned the importance of the warrior code?"

"He has," Snaketail answered firmly, voice brimming with pride. Wolfpaw's heart stopped. Oh, oh please don't let this be a prank. Was he getting his name too?

"Wolfpaw, step forward," Longstar commanded and Wolfpaw pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Like Roarswipe, he looked up at his leader with an unwavering gaze. This was his moment. "I, Longstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Wolfpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

Wolfpaw nodded. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Wolfpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Wolfmarsh. StarClan honors your spirit and boldness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Roarswipe! Wolfmarsh! Roarswipe! Wolfmarsh!"

Roarswipe exchanged an excited look with his brother. "We finally did it!"

Wolfmarsh smiled and threw his head back to look up at the stars, letting the five clan's voices' wash over him. "Yeah. Yeah, we finally did it."

* * *

**Author's Note:** We're not actually done. There are still two bonus chapters focused on the Sanders Sides side of the Sanders Sides/ Warriors Crossover but I'd just like to take a chance to talk about this world.

This story took me a bit over a month to write and let me say it was hard. It was a lot of fun but to write in-universe for Warriors is hard enough on its own, even without the Sides. For those of you who have never written Warriors, the universe's vocabulary is very different so it's hard to use expressions or make jokes. Normally I don't have too much of a problem but a lot of the Sanders Sides' humor has to do with puns, pop culture references, or expressions so it was hard.

I wrote this story to be fandom blind to the Sanders Sides so I'm just going to talk about the characters a little bit before the next pair of chapters so you guys aren't confused.

In the Sanders Sides series, there are six characters that represent different aspects of the main character's personality. The six main characters in this story were those characters.

_Patternheart_ is Patton or Morality. He represents emotions and, obviously, morality. He's the inner child, a lover of puns, and the "dad" of the group. While writing this, I learned that puns are hard to write which is why Patternheart puns pretty hard at the beginning of the story and then doesn't really do it ever again.

_Longberry_ or _Longstar_ is Logan or Logic. He represents reason and logical thinking. He has trouble with emotions and has a hard time understanding anything that isn't literal. He is the "teacher" of the group. Writing his dialogue was difficult in particular because a) cats don't talk like textbooks and b) I couldn't make references.

_Vigilpaw _or _Vigilstorm_ is Virgil or Anxiety. He represents the fight or flight reflex and anxious feelings. He's had trouble opening up in the past and is kind of negative in general but was eventually accepted into the group. Virgil is the "emo" of the group. He was surprisingly easy to write but keeping him in character is hard because I couldn't make him too angsty or let him antagonize the other characters too much.

_Snaketail_ is Deceit. He represents dishonesty, deceit, and self-preservation. Not a lot is known about him but half his face is covered in scales. In the series, he's the villain but writing "sympathetic Deceit" as a good guy is fairly common and his character is pretty much just left up to the interpretation of the author. The only thing that made him difficult to write was that Vigilpaw and Wolfpaw looked up to him so much so I couldn't make him completely dishonest or it'd ruin their relationship and I'd have to fix it which I didn't want to do. His connection with the Dark Forest and his feelings about it were the main way I showed his moral greyness.

_Roarpaw_ or _Roarswipe_ is Roman or Light Creativity. Roman represents fantasy and romance. He dresses like a prince and loves everything Disney and theater. He's very over the top and excitable. He was hard to write because he makes a lot of references and Disney does not exist in the Warriors universe. I replaced Disney and most story references with the Great Clans though Roarpaw started to outgrow it as he aged and the story progressed.

_Wolfpaw_ or _Wolfmarsh_ is Remus or Dark Creativity. He represents intrusive thoughts. He dresses like a duke and makes a lot of religious commentary. Like his brother Roman, he's very loud and over the top. He was difficult to write for the reference reasons as well but he's also known for being destructive and morbid. I also couldn't really play with his connection to religion because I didn't want to make him a medicine cat.

_Vinestar_ is Thomas, the main character in the series.

_Rushstalk_ is Remy. He is technically a background character and his role in the series isn't really important but a lot of fans like to pretend he's a side. I put him in the story and, boy, let me tell you he is hard to write. Remy represents sleep. He drinks coffee and likes partying and has a very distinct speech pattern which I couldn't write because, again, universe.

_Echopelt_ is Emile Picani. He isn't really an important character either but we saw him a lot. He's the main character in a different series called Cartoon Therapy. He's kind of a mix between Logan and Patton in that he can be smart and serious but he also is very childish. He loves cartoons which, again, I could not reference. In this story, he was the one who got Roarpaw(swipe) interested in the stories of the Great Clans.

We're going to see the sides in the upcoming chapters so for those of you who have been waiting for this moment, enjoy.


	19. Bonus

Well this was a familiar sight.

Vigilstorm stood on a sandy bank cloaked in a thick, grey mist. It surrounded him like the darkness of the night, obstructing his view of the horizon or anything in the distance. Being the nervous cat he was, he should have been put at illease by it but he was strangely calm tonight.

"Where are we?" a voice asked, breaking the silence. Vigilstorm jerked his head, trying to pinpoint the location of the speaker. He broke into a steady trot and began to wander the area, the fog parting to form a path with each step he took. Vigilstorm watched it shift and bend to his will with curious fascination in his violet eyes. It hadn't done that before. Did that mean something changed? Was this mist accepting him?

The mist rolled back a bit, revealing five figures standing on the river bank. The river was flowing lazily, water dull and sleepy, but the cats hadn't seemed to notice it. Once their range of vision increased enough to see it, they jumped back as if surprised. Vigilstorm resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

The first figure was a tall cat with broad shoulders that just didn't seem to match his thin build. His fur was a light grey that blended into the faded background but his blue eyes were sharp. In the sea of grey, they added some color and they did so stunningly. They were beautiful and deep, perfectly reflecting the tom's curiosity with his surroundings. His head was turning constantly, absorbing every detail, as his long tail whisked behind him.

The second tom's fur was just as grey but dark enough that it stood out against the fog compared to his companion. Brushes of yellow appeared on his fur alongside lighter patches of grey, giving his pelt a more nuanced feel. He was a sturdy cat, powerful muscles locked and stuff under his pelt, but he was an incredibly lithe cat over all. Still, it was clear he was a fighter born. His bright yellow eyes seemed to see right through everything around him.

The long haired yellow tom's eyes were far softer than his companions'. They were just as blue as the first tom's but they had a far less intense hue. Rather than sharp intensity, they radiated warmth and softness. The tom as a whole just had a kind aura around him.

The last two cats were clearly younger but held themselves like they deserved their place there. The larger of the two was a powerful creature with broad shoulders that rippled with strength. His fur was a beautiful russet littered with faint ginger markings that framed his amber eyes perfectly. The other tom, clearly the first's brother, was smaller but well muscled as well. His fur was the same shade of russet but silver markings covered his body, adding a few more splashes of color into his already stunning pelt. And if that wasn't enough, his green eyes certainly made up for it.

And then there was Vigilstorm. Dark, violet eyed Vigilstorm. He knew his eyes usually caught cat's attention, not to mention the dark markings around them. His fur was dark, almost black, with tabby markings winding around his body. He didn't think about his appearance often by any means but standing here like this, he felt incredibly out of place.

"Longstar, Snaketail, Patternheart, Roarswipe, Wolfmarsh," Vigilstorm addressed, nodding to each cat as he said his name. The five warriors looked surprised as he approached but no one jumped or spoke up, remaining silent as Vigilstorm took a seat beside them. "Welcome to the mist."

Longstar hummed, looking around once more. "Not quite what I expected when you described this place. I take it you're the one who summoned us here?"

"Nope," Vigilstorm responded with a shake of his head. "I'm as surprised as you all. Though it seems I have a bit more control of this place than usual."

"Excuse me, but why are we here?" Snaketail asked, waving his tail between himself and Wolfmarsh. "I was under the impression this was a prophecy cat thing."

"It's not like we've never been in the mist before," Wolfmarsh answered with a shrug. "And Ripplestar said Silverpelt had an interest in us, didn't he? Maybe… I have no idea. I'm sure we're going to find out though."

"That's the spirit," Patternheart purred lightly. His eyes met Vigilstorm's and grew serious. "But really, you don't have any idea why we were summoned?"

Vigilstorm shrugged half-heartedly. "No. I assume Jayfeather just wants to talk to us about something."

"Indeed I do," Jayfeather said as if on cue. The mist became thick and dense for a few heartbeats before clearing. When it did, the silver tabby was standing before the six ThunderClan cats. He offered a smirk and dipped his head in greeting before walking away, beckoning the cats with his tail. "Come on. We don't have all day."

The six cats exchanged a glance before bounding after him. Vigilstorm took the lead, feeling a need to be close to his… whatever Jayfeather was to him. Roarswipe and Wolfmarsh hovered close behind while Patternheart, Longstar, and Snaketail took up the rear but they were all practically shaking with intrigue and curiosity.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I've summoned you six tonight," Jayfeather began once the group reached a small pool on the riverside. The mist continued rolling back, creating a clearing for the cats to sit.

"That's an understatement," Snaketail muttered under his breath sarcastically as he took a seat next to Wolfmarsh.

Jayfeather flicked his ear at him. "Stop that. I'm the sarcastic one and the mist isn't big enough for the two of us."

Snaketail leaned back slightly and blinked. "Sorry?"

Jayfeather ignored him. "This was the place the prophecy was extended to give the new Four their powers. Would you like to hear the full thing?"

The Four exchanged a glance. "Sure?"

Jayfeather took a deep breath. "There will be three cats, kin of your kin, with the power of the stars in their paws. They will find a fourth, and the battle between light and dark will be won. A new leader will rise from the shadows of his death, and the Clans will survive beyond the memories of his memories. This is how it has always been, and how it will always be.

"One was four and four was one. The sharp eyed jay, the roaring lion, the gentle dove, and the great fire's reign has ended. Now comes the rise of new heirs. Vigilance, bravery, love, and intellect seize power of time passed. Light will overcome darkness."

The cats were silent for a moment. Roarswipe broke it with a rumbling purr and shouldered his brother. "Light overcame darkness, didn't it?"

"It did," Jayfeather told him with a nod. "You've earned Silverpelt's thanks and now time for the six of you to have your reward."

"Six?" Snaketail and Wolfmarsh echoed.

"Oh, we don't need a reward," Longstar spoke, sounding surprised. "We didn't fight the Others and the Dark Forest for any kind of personal gain. Our friends needed to return home and we needed to avenge our-"

"Longstar?" Patternheart interrupted. "Shut your ever flappin' gobtalker."

"I… What?"

Jayfeather snorted in amusement. "Don't think it over too much. I'm just giving… I'm giving you back something you lost. Vigilstorm, remember when I first spoke with you about your powers?"

Vigilstorm nodded, memory stretching back all those moons ago. Great StarClan, that was a long time ago, wasn't it?

"What'd he tell you?" Roarswipe asked, tilting his head curiously. Vigilstorm started to respond but Jayfeather beat him to it.

"Haven't you ever wondered why your Four specifically were chosen for the prophecy? Your four- or rather, you six- caught Silverpelt's attention. As the main channeler of the mist's power I noticed it and decided to act on that interest," Jayfeather explained. His blue eyes grew soft. "I didn't expect you six to be like me."

"What do you mean?" Longstar asked. He frowned. "Save the powers, I see no-"

"Our souls were recycled," Vigilstorm interrupted bluntly. He swallowed. "Before we were born, we had already lived out entirely different lives."

"... Oh."

Jayfeather shook his fur. "During my lifetime, I learned of my past at quite a young age and recovered some of my memories. I don't know what kind of cats you were in the past- or if you were even cats at all- but if you would like, I have the ability to share some of your memories with you. It's your choice but I recommend you do it. Even if you didn't open your mind to it, chances are you would remember pieces on your own and over time, the broken memories would cause you some kind of distress. This is your best chance to remember who you were."

"I want to do it!" Patternheart spoke up immediately. Six gazes fell on him and Patternheart shuffled his paws but looked unfazed. "I think we all owe it to ourselves, don't we?"

"I suppose," Longstar murmured. He nodded, more to himself than any other cat. "Very well. I'd like to as well."

"I don't see any point in refusing," Snaketail spoke up. "I agree too."

"You already know what my answer is," Roarswipe said and Wolfmarsh nodded vigorously in agreement.

"I've been waiting for this," Vigilstorm said, a hint of a smile tugging on his lips. He looked to Jayfeather. "Do it."

"Very well," Jayfeather said. He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the empty sky above. "All of you look into the pool. You're going to see something in the water that'll stimulate your mind into restoring some more of your memories. I don't know how well this is going to work but… Good luck I guess."

Jayfeather muttered something under his breath and the six cats looked into the pool. The water began to swirl before colors and images began solidifying. To Vigilstorm's surprise, it was a twoleg who appeared in the water.

Vigilstorm flinched and nearly fell over as memories of a whole world of things he couldn't fathom rushed into his mind. Memories of music and laughter and movies and cookies and plays and tv shows and… And family. Thomas, Roman, Logan, Janus, Remus, Patton… and… and Virgil. They were famILY. Oh, how could he have forgotten this? It was so wonderful. Warmth and joy bubbled up in him and Vigilstorm felt his throat tighten. How could he forget all this? He had a whole lifetime of love and friends and he'd just forgotten it all? Guilt trickled into the rush of joy but did little to dampen it. Vigilstorm swallowed and steeled himself for everything to come. No way under Silverpelt would be forget this time. He was going to hold onto every last memory that returned even if it killed him.

When the rush of memories began to slow, Vigilstorm desperately reached out, not wanting it to stop. Fear flooded his chest. Once the connection was severed, what was keeping him from forgetting again? He didn't want to forget. He couldn't. He wouldn't.

Vigilstorm felt a tail tip on his shoulder and he let out a choked sob, pressing himself against Snaketail. The older tom was shaking and making no attempt to hide it when he placed his chin on Vigilstorm's head. Pressing his muzzle up to his ear, he softly whispered, "You're amazing, you know that?"

Vigilstorm laughed and nearly shook him off, instead opting to lean deeper into Snaketail's side. "Really? You feel the need to tell me that now?"

Snaketail purred, chest rumbling against Vigilstorm's face. "It was… strange seeing us all as twolegs- a twoleg, rather- but it felt so right. That was really us there. I'm just glad we're all still together."

"Yeah," Vigilstorm whispered, lifting his gaze to look at his friends. Longstar and Patternheart were pressed up against each other like Snaketail and Vigilstorm were while Roarswipe and Wolfmarsh were excitedly chattering about what they'd seen. All of them… They were one. Vigilstorm broke into a purr. "Me too."


	20. Alternate Bonus

**Author's Note:** I thought I'd already posted this. My bad. This is an alternate ending to the story.

* * *

"What… What did I just read?"

A fairly average looking man in jeans and a red t-shirt, messy brown hair swept to one side, sat in the middle of an apartment's living room. A number of others sat on either side of him, all dressed in costumes of some sort. To anyone else, the scene would look odd. Bizarre. Unfathomable, some would say. But to them, this was normal. More than normal. This was… it just _was_. It was all they knew and it felt so right that anything else was unimaginable. These seven, they were one. Parts of Thomas, individuals making up a whole, it didn't matter. Each one mattered yet they were one.

Logan and Patton...

A man in a dark polo shirt and an indigo tie sat stiffly beside the host on the couch. A thick, black pair of glasses rested on his face but they were pushed up as he pinched the space between his eyes, looking exasperated. On the ground in front of him was another man in a bright blue polo shirt and a light grey cardigan tied around his shoulders. He too wore glasses but they only seemed to frame his cheerful expression rather than add to any stiffness on his face.

Virgil and Janus...

A man in a patched purple hoodie and dark eyeshadow sat on the back of the couch, leaning his back against the wall. He was tense, tenser than the rest, but looked comfortable from his position looking over everyone. In front of him sat a man with scales on his face. He wore a bowler hat and a cloak over his shoulders, the dark color highlighted with yellow in a way that just seemed to frame him perfectly. Both looked completely and utterly confused as they gaped at the final pair.

Roman and Remus...

Out of the seven, these two looked the most outlandish. One was dressed in white and the other black but it was the other bits of color to their costume that made them stand out. A red sash, green accents, a sword, a mace… One was a prince and the other a duke. And the roles suited them perfectly.

The prince and duke were holding a stack of papers that looked suspiciously like a script with expectant grins on their faces as they peered at the other four Sides and their host. "Well?"

"Let me get this straight," Virgil sighed, running his hands through his hair with his free hand. In the other sat a stack of papers that looked suspiciously like the scripts the royal twins were holding. Janus tilted his head back slightly to glance at the script Virgil was holding once more.

"You already lost me," Roman said, staring blankly. Thomas snorted in amusement into the back of his hand.

"Yeah, we don't do straight," Remus added, playing with his mace boredly. Logan looked strained, clearly worried about Remus hitting something, but Thomas's muffled laughter and obvious amusement was enough for him to not particularly care.

Virgil sighed again and wrung his hands, dropping the script into Janus's lap. He clearly didn't want to look at it anymore. "You guys wrote us into Warrior cat fanfiction?"

"... Maybe?"

"Seriously? The one time you two work together and actually get along and it's that of all things?"

"What? You didn't like it?" Roman asked, looking somewhat hurt. It was exaggerated but there was a layer of genuinity under it.

"Well I liked it!" Patton announced, clapping his hands together with a smile.

"You like everything with cats," Janus drawled before giving in. He rested his chin on the back of his hand and hummed, mismatched eyes scanning the script. "Though I suppose it wasn't awful."

"Dee!" Remus exclaimed gleefully and threw himself across the room to wrap his arms around the snake-faced side. "I didn't know you were capable of saying just kind words! This is why you're my favorite."

"I can tell," Janus commented, pushing Remus off him. He eyed the script with amusement and scoffed fondly. "I am so overprotective of you in that story."

"Yeah. Anytime you guys go to the Dark Forest you're like 'don't come near me or my son ever again,'" Virgil chuckled. "Tbh, you're kinda like that in real life but it's funny to see cat-you doing it too."

"Ha ha. Very funny," Janus responded, voice dripping with sarcasm. He took his hat off and swatted Remus with it, smiling all the while. "Get a laugh out of it while you still can. It's never happening in real life."

Remus grinned and made an outlandish noise that could've been a squeal or a shriek. He snatched the hat out of Janus's hands in his teeth, rolled away from him and the couch, and sat up straight on the floor with the hat on his head. Janus rolled his eyes as Remus looked at him smugly. "You know you love me. Wouldn't let anyone else steal your hat."

"I am confused," Logan spoke up, interrupting the Dark Sides' banter. He got to his feet and casually plucked Roman's copy of the story out of his hands. "It seems Roman and Remus put we six Sides into a crossover fanfiction between the Sanders Sides and the Warriors with ourselves and Thomas's shorts and Cartoon Therapy characters as warriors in the Warriors universe but…"

"But what, specs?" Roman asked, tilting his head. His mind seemed distant, clearly proud of himself, but it was his job to listen to critique and compliments. His behavior was lax but his eyes were a giveaway. The focus in his eyes was sharper than the blade of his sword.

"I have no idea what this story is about," Logan said, almost exhaling the words. He glanced at the Sides' host. "Thomas has never read these books so there's no reason you two should have the knowledge to write something like this on your own."

"Yeah, that confused me a bit too," Thomas agreed, scratching the side of his head with a lost expression evident on his face. "It's a great story though, Roman. And Remus. Good job."

Remus froze ever so slightly, as if getting praise from his host was still something new and surprising, while Roman grinned bashfully. "Why thank you."

"Have you really never read the cat books?" Patton asked, turning around to look up at Thomas. "They're really good."

Virgil and Deceit made noises of doubt and disagreement but didn't speak up.

"No," Thomas responded, tipping his head ever so slightly. "So you all have?"

"I haven't," Logan noted quickly. "I wouldn't waste my time reading fictional teenage books about animals."

"They're not just 'fictional teenage books about animals,'" Roman said, sounding offended. He put a hand on his chest before spouting off into a ramble of excitement. "They are brilliant tales of-"

"_Tails_," Patton giggled, pulling his knees to his chest and smiling childishly.

"- adventure and bravery! They tell of sacrifice and forbidden love! They explore loyalty and- and… and it's just a whole different world!" Roman raved, spinning around dramatically. "They're phenomenal books, Thomas. I really do recommend you read them."

"But only like the first four arcs," Virgil spoke up.

"Four and a half," Janus added.

"And the super editions."

"And the manga."

"And the novellas."

"Wait, what's wrong with the new ones?" Remus asked, scratching the side of his head before pulling something out of his hair and putting it in his mouth.

"Everything," Virgil groaned. Without missing a beat, he reached over and grabbed Remus's wrist before he could eat whatever he found in his messy hair. "Have you read them?"

"No."

"Don't. They're terrible."

Logan sighed. "I've learned many things today. Namely that Thomas's Creativity is wasting time doing something unimportant that doesn't even bring Thomas amusement. Back to work, you two. We still need another video idea."

Roman sighed dramatically with his usual flair, throwing himself on the ground and sprawling over his brother's shoulder with the back of his hand pressed to his forehead as if wounded. "Geez, fine. We'll go work on a video."

"Hey Roman? Remus?" Thomas called as the two Creative sides started to sink out.

"Yes?"

"It really was a good story." Thomas smiled and gave them a thumbs up. "I really enjoyed it. Keep up the good work."

The twins exchanged a look and shared a smile before grinning back at their host. "Thanks Thomas."

* * *

**Author's Note:** And that's the last chapter folks! I'm sure this chapter's pretty confusing if you've never seen Sanders Sides but as I've said repeatedly, this was originally intended to be a crossover. FFN's crossover posting system and Sanders Sides posting thing is just weird.

Hope you guys enjoyed though. I might write another fic in this universe one day but for now, this is the end. Thank you for reading!


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